Legend of Zelda: Echoes of the Past
by Shinzoku
Summary: Link and Lineback V must travel together with new friends in order to bring peace to the seas. With evil Sages, another evil Gerudo, and...unlikely guides, how are they keeping sane while trying to get ride of Twilight and evil stuff?
1. Departing: Enter: Lineback V!

Link's sister was kidnapped. A new friend who has known him for years comes to take him on a journey he will never forget. With new friends comes new enemies and with Zelda on his side, a Gerudo prince, and sorcerer, what's not to miss? And exploring new and old lands, like the Sage Island, once a rich land, many things will never be the same again. Especially when storms keep chasing them wherever they go.

* * *

They stood on the tip of the highest building, watching the sun slowly sink beyond the horizon. Soon, their plan would go into effect, and soon, the world would be theirs. A place where they could get rid of anyone and whatever they want. A place of torture.

"Hyrule…we must get rid of this castle…"

"How?" The girl shifted positions.

"Easy enough… We take that good-for-nothing twerp…"

"And Ryell?"

Hesitation. "He will be dealt with in good time…. We should get going now."

The man turned to jump of the building, but something stopped him. A powerful force, shining blue, pulled him back. The girl stood there, a look of possession in her light, golden eyes. Not even the loud _clank _of armor woke her from her trance. Then he sat there, on his knees, his eyes blank.

"My minions…" a voice said. A mix of the man's and a deeper, raspy voice. "You are serving me well. Make sure you get rid of anyone who stands a chance against me. The Gerudos, Hyrulians…"

Just as suddenly as the force had come, it left, letting the look of terror fill the eyes of those who had been possessed. Both stood there, still as statues, not daring to move until the sun had fully set.

---

"Link! Link, are you awake!? Wake up!"

A blonde kid snored and rolled over, his back now to the window. He wouldn't get up right now, not yet. Life on Out Set was so boring. There were no animals other than pigs and gulls. No sword lessons anymore. Most of his friends had left the island with their parents after the sudden attack high in the mountains. A pet pig had disappeared. Then a little boy.

"Link! Your sister! She's _gone_!"

Then it hit him. The boy's eyes snapped open when he realized his friend wasn't hitting the window with a rock. He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"What? Torah?" Link asked. "What happened to her?"

His friend opened the door slightly and looked in. "Can I come in?" he asked.

"Yeah, go ahead."

When his friend had sat down on the edge of his head, Link asked what had happened.

"I was watching your sister head up to the mountains," Torah began. "Something, a shadow, jumped high into the air and stood there, looking at all of us. Then it disappeared and then there was a scream."

Link was silent. "She didn't come back…did she?"

Torah sighed. "No. No one wants to go up there to look. Everyone who has disappeared might just be hostages."

Then his friend left.

Link stood up and pulled on the clothes that were custom in that little village. A green tunic with a brown belt and white pants. With that, he headed out the door and slipped on his boots. He'd find Kay. He swore he would.

"But if Torah finds out I left…"

Never mind that, he thought. His friend would be devastated. The two were like the closest brothers.

He sighed. "Better get out there." His voice was full of sadness.

The whole village was awake. The group of 5 kids and many adults. He had been considered an adult since his birthday two weeks ago. But now…now he felt small and weak. Everyone was looking at him. The path had been cleared. All of them were standing on the grass, even Florah and Kilo, Torah's parents.

"You look like everything was taken away from you," the elder of the village said soothingly.

Link didn't say anything. When around other people, he never said much. He walked down the path and past the bridge that connected the two islands. Behind, everyone was breaking up, moving back to their houses or just sitting there on the ground, staring at something.

"Heyyyyy!"

A shiver ran down his back. Link turned around. The man responsible for training young villagers in the way of the sword. Was running towards him. His skin was dark, hair even darker. He wore a green tunic, like most males, with a sword in a sheath on his belt.

"Link," the man said when he caught up. "Come with me, please."

The confused kid followed the man up into his house, high on one of the cliffs. He turned around when he was inside and held out a short sword. The hilt was striking green with a sharp-pointed, dangerous tip. Not the wooden ones they had trained with not too long ago.

"I know someone who might know the reason for the disappearances," the man said. "He has a small ship around the side of the island. I believe he may know where your sister, and all those who have disappeared, are."

Link was overwhelmed. This was all so sudden. But he held out his hands and received the sword like any kid being sent on a 'mission' or 'quest' from the elder. There were no more of those anymore, but as he bowed in respect, he wondered what was so important to have him be given a sudden mission.

"Take this with you, too. This bag will carry everything you keep with you. You'll have to find a shield, but I'm sure a friend will be able to give it to you. Go quickly."

He was startled, but turned around anyway. He didn't hear what the man said next. "Gotta go," he said. There had been an urgency in the man's voice.

The wind grew harder. Clouds covered the sun. Every bit of grass looked like it was dying. But Link had to go. He didn't know why, but now he felt like he should go.

"You over there!"

The yell startled the kid. Link looked around nervously, sword held out.

"You're a paranoid one! Get over here, don't look back!"

Link looked up. A medium-sized boat- much like the boat Tetra had- was anchored right next to the beach. A kid, probably not much older than Link himself, was lowering a ladder. The boy's hair was brown and made two, opposite pointing spikes at the end. Link began to say something, but the other kid began to talk first.

"Hurry up and swim over here. We've gotta go. Like, now."

"Alright." Link nodded. He began to swim over there, but something grabbed his leg, tugging him underwater. He turned and slashed at it with his sword, and the shark biting his leg quickly disappeared. What kind of sword was this?

He swam back up to the surface. While he swam over, he took a few huge breaths.

"Why do I have to come with you?" Link asked. "I don't even know you."

"But I do," the kid said. "We'll introduce ourselves when you get up here!"

Rolling his eyes, Link grabbed onto the ladder and climbed up. The kid was also pulling up the ladder, so he got up there much faster than he normally would have.

"Good boy," the other kid said and pulled the ladder all the way into the ship. He turned around and looked up at the mast. "I'm Lineback V, just call me Lineback. I'm captain of this ship and your new friend for a really long time. Of course, I already know you but…go ahead."

"I'm Link," Link said. "Swordsman in training."

Lineback V raised an eyebrow. "Really now?" he asked. "I thought that when you turned 14 you stopped training."

Link looked startled. "How do you know?" he asked.

"I lived on that island for five years. You don't remember. But when I was five, and when you were two, my father took me to Forfa Island just north of here." The kid sighed. "Now, let's get going. Try not to look back."

He walked up to the rope and pulled on it. A sail rose into the air, black and blue with dark purple markings. There was a rolled-up map looking marking in the middle with a paintbrush crossing behind it.

"You're a painter?" Link asked.

"Ha-ha, no," Lineback said. "I make maps and try to explore every little place I can. While searching for treasure and a…special person…"

"Who?"

A sigh. "One of my best friends. He was overcome by Twilight and now I'm trying to find him."

Link could've sworn he heard that name, Twilight, before. He pounded the side of his head, hoping to remember anything about. Dark matter, reverse side of the world…something like that.

"Where're we going first?"

"Dragon Roost. You know how the water just rose again like 20 years ago? Well, yeah, these guys need a little help getting back to their old lifestyles. Valoo is getting really mad especially with all the Twilight coming in."

"Dragon Roost…?" Link asked, but Lineback ignored him.

He looked around. The sail looked a lot like the clothes Lineback wore. He wore a dark purple shirt with a blue and black jacket over it. It had many purple markings. His pants and boots were black. Then Link looked at his own clothes. Bright green with a brown belt and a sword sheath.

"I can't help it," Link muttered and looked back. What he saw made his gasp. A fire had risen from the very top of the mountains. A dark figure stood there, and Link could've sworn it was looking right at him. Sparks were tumbling down and lighting everything on fire. "Oh my gosh!"

"I told you not to look back!" Lineback exclaimed, obviously ticked off. "Now you probably want to go help your village! No! They'll be find on their own! They have plenty of buckets!"

Link dropped to the ground, just sitting there. He was surprised how far they had gone out to sea in just a few minutes.

The gentle rocking of the ship made him queasy. Maybe it would pass over time, but not when he knew that his friends and family may never be seen again. And he was supposed to stay with this guy!? Right now he just wanted to sleep.

"Forfa?" Link asked quite a little while later. The sun was setting, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"Yup," Lineback said. "Just go do whatever you want and meet me back here when the moon is at its highest."

Apparently he didn't have a clock with him. But Link didn't argue. He now got to explore a new island! One that was pretty dang close to his. So he ran up one of the streets and followed a group of people walking up to one of the view points.

Up on the cliff, you could see the whole city. It looked as if it were built on the side of a volcano. At the very top of the flat-topped mountain lived the village elders. Their house was striking red. Dotting the side of the mountain were other buildings, red, orange, and yellow. The bottom of the mountain was beautiful. Large trees and flower bushes made the base of the mountain really pop. They were all sorts of colors, red and purple and blue and green, blending right into the magnificent stores and shops.

A path leading from the elders' house to the bottom had purple flowers lining it, making it stand out from the dark brown mountain. Other paths, also lined with flowers, led to many other houses.

Many cliffs started at the sand, slanting upwards to form a slight spiral around the side of the beach. They were grassy and had fences so that no one could fall.

The island, if looking at it from a birds-eye view was nearly a large, perfect circle. From the top. You could see many, many places where kids could play, and parks, and forests. It was nearly five times bigger than Out Set, but Lineback had told him it was only about twice as big as Dragon Roost. Then again, they hadn't gotten to Dragon Roost yet.

"Gotta take a look at the shops," Link said. He shook a small bag of Rupees that Lineback had given him. "Not much, but I might be able to get a shield."

With that, Link walked back down the spiral cliff and glanced at the shops. Children's toys, Chuchu Potions- whatever they were, Link thought- maps, books, everything but a weapons shop.

"Hey, uh, ma'am?" Link asked and walked up to an older girl, probably about 20, who looked like she knew this place very well.

"Yes? What is it?" The woman glared at him.

Link gulped. "Would there happen to be a weapons shop nearby? Or a shop that sells shields?"

The woman laughed. "Of course!" she said. "It's right around the corner there. Follow the path until it ends and then turn right. No one really goes there, so there isn't really a path, but this old guy keeps insisting that he keeps it going. It's the only one."

Link nodded. "Thanks!" he said and took off.

He followed the exact path that the woman had told him about. Before long, he came to a run-down looking shop. It had a picture of a shield on the door. A sword picture was painted on the window.

On the inside, it looked deserted. The door squeaked as Link slowly pushed it open. He took a look around. When he blinked, a man who wasn't there appeared there. He looked old with graying red hair and paling skin.

"Yes, what is it?" the man asked.

"I-I need a shield," Link said nervously. "Someone told me this was the only place _to _get one."

The man nodded. "Correct," he said. Now get in here. There's a draft."

Link stepped inside and gently closed the door. The place looked like it would fall apart if one thing was moved out of place. Yet he walked forward, not really afraid of this guy.

The man told him to hold out his arm. Link did as told.

"This is the one you use to fight with?" he asked. Link nodded.

"I always use swords with my left hand," Link said. "I've been like that for a long time."

"Very well. Now we must see how much you can carry… No, never mind. I have the perfect shield for you."

The man walked away and came back later with a shield that looked brand new. It was amazing blue with three golden triangles in the middle. Leaf markings ran around them.

"This one seems perfect for you," he said.

"Isn't every shield the same?"

"Some might be too heavy, some might be too light. This one is…special."

"How so?"

The man sighed. "It just is," he said. He walked over to Link then pulled his arm out. "It goes like this. It's different from other shields."

Link raised an eyebrow but nodded. "I don't have to strap it on?" he asked.

"No." The man continued to show him how. There were two loops. His arm would go through it and his hand would hold onto the last loop. "I find it easier that way. Though some people might not shields like that." He smiled. "Now take it. Your friend is waiting for you."

"Don't I have to pay you?"

"I have protected this shield longer than you can imagine. No need for payment."

Link nodded then headed for the door. "Thanks," he said. The man nodded and turned around, disappearing.

As Link walked back to head for the boat, he noticed that the moon had risen considerably. The volcanic-looking mountain was now a shining, silver mass. Boats and ships littered the coasts and ocean. When he looked back, the shop had disappeared. Only large trees. He got the feeling that the man had been waiting for him for a long time.

---

Lineback sat at his desk, drawing things on the map, growling irritably. He would have to set the course to Dragon Roost soon, but Link hadn't come back yet. He looked up at the window, noticing how high the moon had gotten. Stars scattered throughout the sky. If Link didn't come back soon, there'd be a price to pay.

But before long, his younger friend came back.

"Finally," Lineback growled and stood up. He walked out onto the deck, meeting up with Link as he climbed the ladder. "What took so long? You've been gone for hours."

Link scowled. "Be nice," he said. He pulled up the ladder. "I found this store that sold shields. But he gave me this one for free." He held up the vibrant, multi-colored shield. "He said that he'd been protecting it for a long time."

"Did he have red hair?" Lineback asked.

"Yes!" Link said, nodding vigorously. "And he had really dark skin, like he'd been living in the sun for a long time."

There was a long silence. "We should go," Lineback said. "I have a feeling that you need to figure some stuff out." He headed to the mast and pulled the rope, struggling for a moment as he tried to pull it up. "Get your ass over here and help."

Link gulped but nodded. He dashed over. "Just pull the rope?" Lineback nodded.

Together they pulled, and the second the sail was up, the wind pushed them out of the docks and into the sea. Lineback dashed to the wheel, turning it a bit. They were now heading in the direction opposite of the setting moon.

He could feel hope. Link knew that this would probably help him help his village and find his sister. But he also had the feeling that he'd meet lots of new people; who didn't when they traveled to a bunch of different islands? The feeling flared through his body. Suddenly, he _knew _that he'd find his sister.

* * *

How did you like that so far? I've gotten two chapters so far, but I've been in a really big mood to type. It may feel too much like Wind Waker, but that's the game I've played the most. And then TP and ST. I hope that you don't yell at me for it. :3


	2. Link Becomes A Master Sorter

"Come on, little girl, speak."

"Zain, you know that there's no possible way I'd give out where my brother is currently hiding."

A deep sigh. "Are you positive?" the man asked. He kicked the log that the girl was chained to.

The chains rattled. The tired girl let her head hang forward, her chin resting on her chest. Her eyes had purple lines under them. Her blue eyes were dulled with lack of sleep. She looked up tiredly, looking at the girl that was so much like her.

"Rhea, how could you?"

"I had no friends," the girl said. "Zain found me. He gave me a purpose."

"What if he lies?"

"A Gerudo never lies to his friends," Zain cut in. He looked down with blazing green eyes. Another mark had been added to the black headband around his forehead. There were three triangles. Next to the top one was a leaf. "Now tell me. Your brother may be the key to unlocking what I need."

The girl glared. "The key does not lie in my brother. It lies in another…two. Two Elvin warriors who were deceived. Lied to."

That came as a shock to the two.

"How did you come across this information?" Zain growled. "In every story I have read, it was always the hero. Or a friend of the hero. The key always lies in them."

"The sword is having trouble choosing its master," the girl growled.

Rhea blinked. "How?" she asked.

The girl laughed. "There are three people who deserve a chance to save the world. But that…I will not tell you."

"WHAT?!" Zain roared. "You annoying little brat!"

"I need to stall as long as I can. Right?" The girl leaned her head back, closing her eyes. "The moon is beautiful tonight. How can you be so foolish with Din watching?"

* * *

"What do you mean you can't fight?!"

"I'm a defense!"

"You have MAGIC for God's sake!"

"DEFENSIVE magic!"

"Yeah, you can create light!"

Lineback growled. "Magic does not always have to be used for offense. I use it to help with my maps and to protect my ship when other pirates are attacking. Do NOT underestimate me!"

"How am I supposed to learn to fight better," Link said, "when the one person I'm traveling with can't even fight on his own?!"

A light shot towards Link and threw him against the wall. A bubble appeared around him, leaving him stuck pinned to the wall. His sword suddenly dulled. It fell out of his hands, clattering to the floor.

"Can't fight on my own?" Lineback smartly asked. "Good defense give you more time to think and run. Instead of running into battle with nothing but the thought of killing, I can defend myself as I try to get away and leave unscathed."

Sadly, Link thought, the guy did have a point. After being glared at for a moment, he fell to the floor, the bubble popping. His sword sharpened to its original strength.

"How did you do that?" Link asked. "That was so cool."

Lineback smirked. "So now you think it's cool?" he asked. "Whatever. We've still got a few days. Make yourself comfortable."

Link nodded. "May I go exploring?" he asked. He turned when Lineback nodded. Laughing evilly to himself, he walked down one of the flights of stairs and looked around. This place looked like a bedroom, almost exactly like the one his friend was in before he left.

In one corner there was a bed. Rolled up maps completely trashed the place. Books lined every bookshelf in the room. Not only that, but many other papers and documents and other stuff was everywhere. But one caught his eye.

The top showed a man who looked a lot different from him. He was taller with different clothes- but green like his. Then it branched off into one person, and then more people. A family tree! He was at the very bottom.

Another family tree was on the desk across from the bed. He glanced at it. Lineback's family tree. But each one looked a lot different from the other. And there were five different trees. At the bottom it said 'generations broke four different times when daughter was born. Still considered family, though' The writing was scribbled, making it far harder to read than most other stuff.

"What's this?"

There was one last paper he saw. It showed one of Lineback's ancestors with one of Link's. Then once more 2 generations later. Was it fate that put Link with Lineback? He didn't wait to figure out. The desk drawer was open, spiking his curiosity. The inside held two more family trees. One was confusing because the guys looked completely unlike each other. One had brown skin, two had green, then brown again.

"Who the…?"

Link shook his head and put the papers down. He knew by heart that the second one contained Zelda's family tree. Why Lineback had these in this room was beyond him.

"Link! I need your help!"

A shiver ran up his back. Surprised, Link dashed outside. A storm had brewed during the night. It didn't look like a kind one, either. In the distance, he could see the smoke rising from a certain dragon he head about; Valoo. Dragon Roost was near.

"Hold onto the rope! Now!"

Link turned around. Lineback was running out of the room, obviously trying to find a compass.

"What's going on?" Link asked.

"Freak rainstorm. I'm not sure how, though. There's been no clouds for hours." He looked up from the item in his hand. "Are you going to pull the rope or are you going to loose me my sail?!"

Link was startled. He ran over to the rope, keeping in mind that not only would they loose the sail, they probably wouldn't make it to Dragon Roost. But he had to try. So he grabbed onto the rope and pulled. The sail was surprisingly light! He pulled on it until the wind pushed them much faster than normal.

"C'mon," Lineback growled. "I swear. This twilight'll be the death of us."

"What?" Link asked.

"Twilight. You heard about it in your studies. But with this much, we're bound…."

He didn't catch the rest. Right next to the ship, a shark nearly as big as an elephant jumped out of the water. Its head was shining silver in the moonlight, and with all this rain, it looked slick, like it could move with great ease through anything. Link felt as if this monster didn't even belong here.

Then a bubble appeared around the ship. Like the bubbles that the crabs blew near his home, they reflected many colors and shined purple, red, and orange. But it wasn't enough. The sharp turned sharply, butting the side of the bubble. A crack appeared in the side. Then it shattered, like glass breaking.

"Get away from here!" Lineback snapped.

The shark stopped and looked at him. Every one of its teeth gleamed in the moonlight. Its red eyes looked right at him.

"CHARGE!!!"

Both of them looked up. The inhabitants of the island dropped bomb after bomb on the shark, then lead a group of fish people to finish it off. They flew high in the air, fighting against the wind. The group stayed above the ship until it had stopped safely next to the shore.

When Link jumped off and landed on the soft sand, he stood there for a moment, trying to find his balance again. His face had a faint greenish color and his eyes had dulled.

"Whoa." He groaned and fell to his knees, hands on his head. "What…?"

"Hey! What are you-"

"You look like you're about to throw up!"

"Leave me alone!"

"Aw c'mon!"

"Will you put me the heck down?!"

"No!"

"Please?!"

"Nope!!"

Link looked up. They were pulling Lineback, trying to get him to fall off the side of the boat. The group was all a group of younger kids, but they all looked like they had been friends for a long time. He managed to let out a laugh. These guys, with this craziness so close, seemed like they could always have fun!

"Who…" Link took a deep breath, hoping he wouldn't barf, "are you?"

"We're the Ritos!" one of the girls exclaimed and flew away from the boats. She landed next to Link. To his surprise, her wings were now arms. "We've lived on this island for so long, but after a while, when the water went down, we had to find a new place to live. When we came back, Valoo was messed up! He's the one that gives us our wings!"

She seemed so happy. But Link thought it was such a sad story.

"Would Valoo be the one who was snorting out smoke earlier?" Link asked. He had finally felt like he could talk without barfing. "I saw it just before the shark attacked."

The girl sighed. "Yes," she said. "We're afraid that the twilight has infected him very badly. Come on. Let's get you inside before another monster appears."

* * *

"Guys, calm down!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Now bring our guests some blankets. After that plunge…"

Link and Lineback sat next to the wall, eyes-wide, their whole bodies soaked. They had arrived about 30 minutes ago, but with all the excitement for new visitors, the younger girls accidentally pushed them into the small pool of water outside the entrance. Then, when they got out, one of them dive-bombed, pulled them into the water.

"Here," one of the older girls said. She held out a pile of blankets and nodded approvingly when the two boys took them. "Marry?"

"That girl's flippin' annoying!" Lineback exclaimed. The girl named Marry just laughed. "

"The girl that dive-bombed us or the one that nearly dropped you in the water?" Link asked.

"That was the same girl all three, four times!"

The silence was unbearable.

"I'm Koh," the girl said. She was glad to have found something to get the excitement going again. "I'm one of Valoo's most trusted friends."

Link nodded. "Hello Koh!" he said through chattering teeth. "I'm Link!" Koh nodded."Welcome to Dragon Roost island," Koh said with a big smile. "It's usually much more festive, but all activities have been cancelled. The only thing going on now is mail sorting."

"That boring thing?" Lineback asked.

The girl nodded. "But we got a group of people who help us," she said. "Let's go. It's breakfast time."

The newcomers nodded and stood up. They pulled their blankets tightly around them before following Koh into one of the many tunnels around the side of the circular room. Pictures and tapestries hung from the walls of this tunnel. The smell of freshly cooked bread drifted from the room at the other end. Screams and shouts and mad giggling erupted from the open door.

"The cafeteria usually like this?" Lineback asked. And he said he had been to this island before.

"Yup." Koh let out a sigh. "Let's go before the chefs get all mad at us for not getting our food while we could."

She led them into a large room. Moss hung from almost every place on the wall. The weird part? It was glowing. The room was silver, like the moon was in there with them. Tables filled every part of the floor except for a long counter on the left side. A pot was behind it with stew cooking.

"Stew?" a man asked from behind the counter.

"Yes, sir," Koh said. "For three."

Another man behind the counter pulled a loaf out of a burning fireplace and set it on the counter. "Some bread? We have plenty tonight."

Once they had a tray, they walked over to an empty table and sat down. The food was warm and as good as the food on Out Set. Perhaps, Link thought, these guys weren't so bad after all.

"Link!"

"DUCK!!"

Link ducked just in time. Something went flying past his pointed ear, something that made hardly a noise when it hit the soft moss. Koh picked it up and her eyes instantly turned the shade of blood-red.

"Don't waste food!" she exclaimed. "We need every bit of it."

"But we have plenty!" one of the girls exclaimed.

"We can't be wasting food even with plenty of it." Koh was not happy.

Lineback seemed oblivious to it. He looked at Link as if to tell him to ignore it, but it was quite hard. Even with Koh yelling at everyone, kids kept throwing food or flying up to one of the strings handing from the high ceiling. They kept jumping from balcony to balcony, where the adults sat, and kept trying to steal loaves of bread from the chefs.

All in all…it was chaos.

"Are these guys the only ones like this?" Link asked.

Lineback burst out laughing. "No!" he said. "Gerudo and Twilight children are all like this! Don't forget Elvin children! I don't know how many times I've had to sit in a cafeteria like this. Took me a month to wash this goop stuff from my hair."

Link grinned. "But they're so fun to wa-" A male Rito's wings suddenly changed in mid-flight. He smashed onto the table Link, Koh, and Lineback were sitting at, his back now red from the staining soup.

The kid cursed loudly and jumped up. "Sorry-sorry!" he exclaimed and took off into the air once more.

The bowls on the table were empty. Koh was staring at it with a look that would make them jump away if they were animated. "Freaking kids," she muttered and took the three bowls. "I hope you got your fill."

In truth, Link had eaten almost all of it. He asked if he could get more bread. The chefs willingly gave him some, hoping to Valoo that he wouldn't waste it or throw it against the wall.

Music started up. Three kids were standing on one of the tables. One had a drum, the other had a pan flute, the third had a sliding whistle. They were playing amazing music, like the music his sister had told him about. Each tribe had their own style of music. His favorite so far? The Ritos.

A few began to sing and cheer, instantly cheering Koh's spirits up.

"They're actually doing it!" she said. "Usually they can't even get it started without flipping out on someone!"

She went on to explain what she had meant."Three kids are chosen every 50 years. They learn to play one of three instruments and songs that honor Lord Valoo. Everyone is always happy and cheerful during these songs- maybe they'll help us!"

"I know this song!" Lineback said. "My father could play the pan flute and always sung this song!"

Link clapped to the beat with everyone else. The song was amazing for three kids about his age. The notes were clear and weren't hesitant and they flowed smoothly. Even, surprisingly, the adults joined in the fun.

Over head, there was a stomping sound. Everything stopped. The 100 or so Ritos looked up in astonishment. From their looks, this was not a good thing.

Many of them flew over to one of the windows much higher up and perched on the stone frame. The morning sun was rising, the moss dimming. Then, without hesitation, many more stomps erupted. A loud roar stopped even the tiniest scavenger rat in its tracks.

"Everyone! Get out into the common room!"

They didn't need to be told twice. Koh grabbed the boy's wrists and pulled them to the front of the crowd. There was much pushing and shoving, and many of the younger kids felt the need to fly over everyone else. They didn't even land in the common room. The middle room was circular with a spiraling ramp that lead to many different rooms. Many perched on the railing that prevented most from falling.

It was silent. The leader of the group walked into the room, a very worried look on his face.

"Valoo was not pleased," he said grimly. "We sent many up to see what was wrong. The twilight is infecting him now more than ever." A pause. "I do not want to do this with guests, but it is very important. Every male who is younger than 17 must learn to fight with a sword. They will be taught basic sword-fighting skills. The girls with learn defense."

Link thought it was a great idea. He didn't like the segregation part, but he knew that this would be a good chance to train.

"Koh, lead the guests up to their room. Kora and Mikie will stay with me."

Koh once again pulled they up to the ramp. They climbed up, hardly able to hear the words that the leader was saying to his people.

"Don't worry about a thing," Koh said soothingly. "Everything will be taken care of. We've been planning to raid the monsters bother Valoo for a very long time."

"How long?" Link asked.

"Since I was three, 17 years ago."

"That's a freakishly long time," Lineback muttered.

"Exactly. Now, here is your room. Extra blankets have been put in along with jars of water and a few extra pillows. Sleep soundly!"

Then it dawned on them. They hadn't slept in 24 hours.

Lineback pulled off his jacket and draped it on the bed post. He laid on the bed opposite of Link's and stared at the wall. Link didn't blame him. It had been a hard day- but they HAD come here to help these guys out.

"Tomorrow I'm going to try and learn how to fight with a sword," Lineback said. "Just the basics. How good are you?"

"I can beat Master at a sword battle," Link said. "But…" He yawned and his eyes forced shut. At the same time, he heard quiet snoring from the bed across the room.

* * *

"Wake-y wake-y."

"Oh don't hurt him."

"He'll be a great mail sorter!"

"Will you can it?!"

"But he's so cute when he's drooling!"

"That's not nice, Marry!!"

"Awww…"

Link sat up with a start. His eyes were wide and there was a red spot on his cheek where he'd been poked over and over many times in a row. "Who's talking!?" he exclaimed. Cranky, no?

"He's awake!" Marry squealed. "The mail men want you outside! The first thing guests do if they're going to stay here for a while is sort mail!"

"Customs," Lineback growled from his bed and pull the covers up. "But don't fret; they aren't putting you to work. Just remember what I told you."

Right. These guys needed a lot of help getting back on their feet…er, talons? He stuck with feet.

Marry suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him out of bed. "Come on," she said and dashed for the door. She stood there, jumping up and down happily. "I wanna see you good you are!"

Link raised an eyebrow but nodded. He followed Koh and Marry out the door. Outside, everyone was getting ready for breakfast. They had slept a whole day. With what had just happened to him, he knew that later on, he wouldn't be getting very much sleep.

"Okay so, what am I doing?" Link asked.

"Sorting mail," a man said. He looked up from a pile of letters. It just dawned on Link that they'd walked to a counter. "It's easy enough. Want to try?"

Link nodded. "We sometimes do this at my island when we get a lot of mail at once," he said. It hurt him to talk about it.

"Right," the man said. "Try to sort as many letters as you can in 30 seconds. There won't be much of a prize at the moment, but it's great fun if you're good at it."

"Go on," Marry urged.

"Alright- I'll try," Link said. The man started a stopwatch and watched as Link began sorting letters. By the time Link was done, he'd sorted ten. "I didn't do so well…"

"Don't worry!" the man said. "Would you like some un-timed practice?"

Again, Link nodded. "Yes, sir!" he said. He sorted the monkeys and the vines and the flowers and within a few hours, he'd been getting quite good. He could get 15 now in 30 seconds. Quite a feat if you ask me.

"Ah. I see he's now among the living!" The man gestured towards Lineback. His hair was a mess, but he had managed to get his jacket on even with how tired he looked. "What job would you happen to be doing today?"

"Cafeteria clean-up," Lineback groaned. There was a slight whine in his voice.

Link smirked. "I think I'd rather sort mail!" he exclaimed. He then turned to the man. "May I have a few more goes?"

"Take all the time you need!" the man said.

Marry was bouncing again. "Mr. Tai," she said, "when Link's done, can we have a competition? We haven't had one of those is so long!"

"Of course!"

She nodded to Link again. "I'll meet you later!" She then flew off, her white wings taking her swiftly down to the central room.

He looked back at the large bookshelf-looking thing and nodded. "I'll try my best!" he said and took another pile of letters- how many letters were in this God forsaken place?!

"Try to throw your arm while it's sideways, like slashing a sword," Mr. Tai said. "It's a lot easier then a lower-hand throw."

"Really?" Link asked. He stepped back and tried it. Sure enough, it worked a lot better than he thought! "Wow! You're right!"

Mr. Tai nodded. "I find it much easier," he said. "Others do, too. When you're ready, tell me, and I'll make arrangements for a competition."

"Alright, Mr. Tai!" Link said enthusiastically.

So he trained on with Mr. Tai, working for nearly two and a half hours after Lineback woke up. The place was full of people now; a good 300 Ritos lived in this place. It would never had fit that many, but over the years, Link knew, the mountain had grown larger from the dirt and rocks Valoo had sent up to make a larger living space for his people. That's when the Ritos started coming back. It was also that time when the water had started rising again.

Mr. Tai was pleased with what Link had accomplished. He could do much better than before, but had to practice again after long breaks. Marry kept coming to cheer him on, and when things got quiet again, he could he quiet growling from the cafeteria. That made Link smile happily. The freak wanted to do this; he didn't know why, but he just did.

"I think that's good for today," Mr. Tai said. "You've been doing extraordinary. Go take a break- I believe it's lunch time for the kids."

"There's different times?" Link asked.

"Kids these days need a lot of food," Mr. Tai said. "Especially when all they do is throw it. Then we have lunch while the rest of you are doing your chores."

"I can help- I mean, if you want," Link said. "I'm used to a lot of chores."

"Many kids would like that. If you want to meet Valoo, just talk to Koh when you're done."

"Yes, sir!" Link said and saluted. He turned and walked off, heading for the cafeteria. He knew that his sword slashes would be much stronger now. Throwing letter for 4 hours had to do something … right?

He shrugged it off. He'd think about it at a different time. Noise was coming from the cafeteria again, but this time much quieter. Many of the children were still doing their chores somewhere else.

"I see you had fun," Lineback grumbled when Link came in. "Anyway, get over here."

"Okay, just a sec," Link said. He grabbed a tray of food set out for anyone who wanted it and went to sit down next to Lineback. "How's life cleaning out the cafeteria?"

"Horrible," Lineback muttered. "Every time I turned around, one of kids would spill something right there and then, in front of me! It's annoying."

Link laughed. "They're probably much younger than us," he said.

"The ones who don't have their wings yet do that," Lineback said. "They need to get Valoo all back to normal soon so they have something to do other than annoy me."

"We don't need wings to keep us satisfied!" a little girl, only about 5 years of age, squealed. "Annoying you is good enough!"

Lineback let his head hit the table. Hard. "Din, kill me now," he muttered.

"Who's Din?" Link asked.

"One of the three great Goddesses. No one really knows who she is. But many people in the desert, Gerudo Desert, know who she is. They stick to traditions greatly."

"Wow." Link took it all in. He nibbled a piece of freshly cooked bread, hardly being able to wait for the time when he could challenge his friend to a sorting competition. It would be great, he thought. He never really had a competition with anyone, seeing as his island only had about 16 people. But these guys…

"Link, are you ready?!" Marry exclaimed, walking into the room. "Mr. Tai has set up the competition room! It's already for when you're ready."

"Already?" Link asked. "Alright." He ate the rest of his salad and stood up. The Ritos were filing out of the room, excited for a new competition.

He and Lineback followed the group up to the very top of the ramp. Inside was a large room bigger than the cafeteria. A mail sorter was on one wall with a shelf in front of it. Letters that still needed to be sorted were piled up. About 160 people, pretty much all the kids, stood at the back of the room.

"Come on!" Marry squealed. She grabbed Link's hand and dragged him forward. The crowd cheered. "'Kay, Mr. Tai! We're ready."

Link nodded.

"Alright!" Mr. Tai said, shutting the crowd up. "The winner gets one day of no chores! The day can be any time. Ready?"

"Yes, sir!" the two said in unison.

"Go!"

They had 30 seconds to sort as many letters as they could. Link lost track of how many he'd counted, but every time a letter went in, it mad a ping! sound. 20 seconds left. They both tried so hard. They missed a few letters, but got more in than out. It was hard; there were twice as many boxes, double the amount of letters.

10 seconds. Marry concentrated, looking like a hawk with her hard eyes and dark brown beak-nose. Link was trying his best, but he knew that one way or another, Marry would win. Still, it pleased him to know that the Ritos thought he'd be able to do good. Many were cheering for both.

"Stop!" Mr. Tai said.

Link and Marry fell back, letting Mr. Tai walk up and check how many letters they put in. One pile had red colors the other blue.

"My!" Mr. Tai said. "It's a tie!"

"A tie?" The crowd got silent. There had never been a tie before. Never.

"Well," Mr. Tai said slowly.

Lineback raised a hand. "Sir," he said, "why not give them both half a day of no chores?"

"That sounds good," Mr. Tai said. "We'll have to make sure we write down what happens when there's a tie! Well, folks, let's get back to chores! There'll be more excitement later!"

What? Link thought. He shrugged and let it go. "Another competition?" he asked. Lineback grinned.

"Of course," he said. "Might as well make the most of it while we're here, no? These guys haven't had much fun in days."

"Well," Link said, "I guess we'll just have to stay for a week or two!"

"Exactly!"


	3. And Then A Musician

"GOOO!!!!!" Link and Lineback exclaimed. "GOOO!"

They had bet all 543 of their rupees on Marry. The new competition? To see which Rito was the fastest. Marry, Koh, a boy named Garl, and another boy named Turnf were all the last four winners. Marry looked like a hawk, Koh looked like a white owl, Garl looked like a parrot, and Turnf looked like those desert birds that were huge and sandy-colored.

The crowd roared as they came diving past the last pillar. Valoo had calmed down long enough to let them do this, proving that he wasn't completely infected by twilight. That was good, for not everyone had enough time to train. And competitions, of course, too.

"We're gonna loose all our rupees," Lineback whined.

"Watch!" Link exclaimed. Marry twirled in the air, batting Garl with her wing. The kid freaked and his wings suddenly changed back to arms. He grabbed Koh's foot, dragging them both down. Adults came by to pull them out of the water.

Now it was just Mary and Turnf. They were pretty dang even, too. Now everyone was excited. They were nearing the finish line. Could this be another tie?

"GO MARRY!!" Link yelled.

Marry grinned evilly and shot forward and used Turnf as a boost. She jumped off his back. He went plummeting as she safely landed at the finish line. The adults were dragging the kids back up, having a hard time with all the extra weight.

"Yes!" Lineback cheered.

"I'm gonna kill you," Koh hissed to Garl through chattering teeth. "Now she gets a day and a half of no chores."

"Oh you're just jealous," Marry said and stuck her tongue out. "Dinner time?!"

"We still have to clean up from lunch," Mr. Tai said. Everyone's enthusiasm went down. "For now, why don't you go train with Link? He's good at sword fighting."

Everyone nodded. They flew off to the training grounds- a small island right next to Dragon Roost. Only thing was…they forgot that Link couldn't fly.

"You guys forgot me!" Link exclaimed.

One of the older kids came flying back. Link grabbed onto his feet as he went flying down to the island, but they crash landed.

"Stupid!" Lineback called from up on the balcony and left, probably to do more cleaning. Again.

Link rubbed the side of his head where a rock hit. The Rito boy looked half dead. Must've hurt for him more than it did Link.

And so they began. Dinner wouldn't be ready for a few hours, so they had much time to practice. They started out with sticks, like Link did back at his home. There they learned how to block off attacks that Link shot at them, but they weren't very good, so he, too used a stick.

It felt weird to him- being the one helping to train these guys. But he did have basic training in swordsmanship, so he could see why they wanted him to help. Besides- the adults had things to do, didn't they?

"Go!" Link called to the next group. They attacked each other with their stick-swords. A cloud _clunk _was heard when they collided. "Good! Keep going."

He felt so special. But he wasn't doing as great a job as his mentor. Then it hit him; last night, Lineback said he was going to learn how to fight with a sword. Where the heck was he? Link lowered his sword and looked into the air. It was a clear day. No clouds of twilight blocked out the sun. Maybe it was moving away.

_Raaaaaoooooooooooo!_

Everyone froze. The ground shook. Many of the kids fell backwards. In a blinding flash, fire rained down on them.

"Get inside!" the Rito leader exclaimed. The kids didn't need to be told twice. The leader landed on the island, ready to take Link. He was going to drop him off and then see what was wrong with Valoo.

But as he took off, Link didn't let go when he was supposed to.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"I wanna see what's wrong with Valoo!" Link growled. "You guys work too hard to only get stuck inside!"

The leader heaved a sigh. "Alright, but let me do the fighting if anything comes up." Link nodded. They stayed in the air as the kids filed into the large mountain then soared up to the top.

A large dragon was sitting there. Its skin was dark purple. Its eyes were glowing read. A long tail was tipped with purple fire. Black markings pulsed around its body. The ground around him wasn't in better shape. Everywhere, geysers of glowing, golden water spurted up wherever someone stood. Around that, the ground's grass had disappeared and was replaced with purple fog.

"Oh my gosh…" Link breathed.

"It's gotten worse," the leader groaned.

"It's been going on for nearly 20 years," Link said.

The leader sighed. "Yes, but it was going very slowly. Ever since you came, it's been getting worse."

"I swear it's not my fault!" Link exclaimed.

"Of course not. You have a pure heart. You could never be able to do something like this."

Link nodded. "We should go see what's wrong!" Just as he said that, huge fireballs were thrown his way. The leader, also know to the Ritos as…Leader, flapped into the air and set Link on a tree. Then…wait…

Link could've sworn that what he just saw was familiar. Leader dive-bombed past the fire surrounding Valoo and…that was an attack move? But Marry always used that move just for play. And she was the only one who could do that other than Leader.

"Link, try to attack the vines!"

Link looked back. He looked surprised. Marry and Koh and Lineback were here!

Marry smiled. "While Father is distracting them," she said, "attack the vines that hold Valoo down."

Link nodded. He turned and dashed forward. But a geyser shot up in front of him. He sidestepped then ran around it, jumping out of the way of a different one. He rolled past a smoking crater. All his training was paying off.

A bubble surrounded him. Koh and Lineback had their hands held out. Koh could control magic! Under him, a geyser shot up. Instead of getting burned, the water was pushing him into the air.

"CHARGE!!" Marry exclaimed. She thought it was all a game.

The bubble disappeared. Link shot forward, using a cooling crater as a boost. When he got closer, he could see many vines wrapped around Valoo's middle. They were pulsing with dark energy, like the markings on Valoo's purple body.

He got his sword out and ready. The day before, Mr. Tai had given him a glove for his left had that acted like a grip. But instead of it on the sword, it was on the glove.

One of the vines shot towards him, looking to grab its next victim. Link slashed through it, then spun and attacked the others that were coming for it.

"There's too many," Link groaned.

Valoo let out a horrible howl. Fire rained down from the sky. A fireball grazed Link's arm, sending a burning, tingling feeling through him. He fell backwards, sitting down hard.

"I don't like this," he growled. He stood up then backed up, looking around to see where everyone was. But a wall of fire blocked his vision. Not only that, but Valoo was thrashing around, smoke puffing from his mouth.

"VALOO!!" he screamed.

The monster looked at him. The vines seemed startled, too, despite the fact that they were just plants. Leader cut a few of them in half with a dagger then nodded to Link. Link shot forward once more, cutting one of the bigger vines. When many of them came towards him, he once again did the spin attack.

Valoo howled.

"Keep going," Leader said. Link nodded. He could hear his friends cheering from the sidelines. Although they probably thought it was a game, who couldn't cheer when someone was doing awesome?

Then, finally, when one of the vines was cut, something shrieked. Link fell to the ground, holding his ears. The vines retreated back to the ground. A harsh wind blew the fog away. Grass began to quickly grow once more, but the important thing was Valoo. Starting from his nose, a reddish-pink spread throughout his scales.

"YEAAAHHH!!!!" Koh and Marry cheered.

"Good job," Leader said and nodded.

Link smiled and fell onto his back. He took a deep breath.

-----

"We're free!!!" Garl exclaimed. His white hair was neatly brushed and sprayed to stay in place. It was a special occasion. Everyone was free again, no longer forced to stay inside due to Valoo's wrath.

"It's great!" Koh said. "I can't wait to go outside!"

"I remember when we could go outside all the time," one of the older adults said.

"Same," Mr. Tai said. "It was great. And now you guys can play outside without anything dangerous."

Koh nodded. "And we can actually get up close to Valoo now," she said. She looked around and nodded to Marry. They ran up the ramp and into one of the rooms. When the burst inside, Link jolted into a sitting position. "You're awake!"

Link let out a tired sigh and fell back onto his back. "Of course I am," he said. His arm and head were bandaged. He looked very tired. Only a few hours ago had he helped Valoo.

"Want some dinner? There's still plenty of it left," Marry said. "Father said that you can have some at any time!"

"Sure," Link said with a groan. He pulled himself off the bed and stumbled out of the room, his friends helping him. "What is for dinner?"

Koh smiled. "I forget what it's called, but it's some type of fish," she said. "You like fish?"

"Enough to eat it," Link said. Koh nodded. Marry ran off.

"Good," she said. "The Zoras bring it too us only once a year. It's really good."

"MOVE IT!"

Koh and Link looked back. Lineback ran past them with many of the younger Ritos chasing him. He was just about to get to the bottom when he was tackled by all of them. The two just walked past slowly, kinda disturbed.

"What did you do this time?" Link asked.

"I was cleaning and then they attacked," Lineback whimpered.

"Stupid," Link hissed and walked off with Koh.

"AM NOT!!!"

They burst out laughing as they headed to the cafeteria. Inside, it was nice and warm. A very nice glow was coming from the window- one of the first times the sun had actually shown through. Many people were sitting down, even the kids. They were actually eating for once.

"Link!"

Link looked up. The group of kids who played the song to Valoo last night where running up to him.

"We want you to play with us!" one of them exclaimed. "Valoo is very happy tonight!"

"Yeah! When we play, we won't have to stop again!"

"But I can't play an instrument," Link said. "And my arm is still hurt."

The third kid grinned. "We have one," they said. "We can easily teach you have to play."

"The fourth kid was supposed to play it, but for some reason this instrument wouldn't let anyone play it," one of the others said.

"What makes you think I can play it?" Link asked.

"Your family does have a good reputation for being able to play instruments."

"DON'T SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THAT!" Link exclaimed. Lineback grinned. Link took a deep breath and looked at the other kids. "Okay, what instrument is it?"

The first kid grabbed his hand. "Come on," he said and pulled him out of the room.

---

"Hehe, guys, I can't even play a harmonica right," Link said with a nervous smile. "How do you expect me to play a FIDDLE?"

The Ritos smiled. "It's easy enough!" they said and showed him how to hold it. "Are you left handed?"

Link nodded.

"Perfect!" they exclaimed. "This is a left handed fiddle!"

So they showed him how to hold it. Being, well, Link, he figured it out pretty fast. A few moments later, they taught him how to play. Not great, but just how to get the notes out. They were choppy and slow, but thankfully there were only about six notes that he just had to play after the pan flute. It took ten minutes. No one was worried. Dinner usually lasted at least 40 minutes each night.

"Good! Keep practicing!"

Link nodded. He actually thought he was doing pretty good for a first time. The kid who was supposed to be playing the fiddle came out with a simple, normal one. The one Link had was covered with green markings. Together they played that bit of the song.

"Great!" the Ritos said. "Let's go!"

It had now been 20 minutes. How the HECK did someone learn to play that fast? But Link seriously only had to play six notes about three times. But still, he was forced to go with them.

They stood in the middle of the room. The drummer stood closest to the wall while Link stood farthest. Then the drummer began to play. The whistle came in next and created a nice tune, but when the pan flute could be heard, everything was amazing. When he stopped, Link played his part, but it wasn't choppy or slow.

Everyone stopped talking all of a sudden. Stomping over head. But it had a beat to it. They continued to play until the third time Link played, and then stopped. There was a roar over head where sparks and fire flew. It soared through the sky, making sunset colored streaks.

"What song was that?" Link asked.

"A song to honor Valoo," Koh said. She walked over, stopping next to Link. "It's a song that the Zoras played for him when they helped him expand the island. They taught it to the Ritos that came back and they played it whenever Valoo was sad or angry."

"Link, look at it!"

Everyone looked at Link. The instrument he was playing started to glow. Well, the green markings. A light flew around Link until it reached his head and then burst into sparks.

"Valoo wants you to have it," Koh said. "He thinks you did really great."

"How do you know?"

Koh smiled. "Me and our mentor are the only ones who can speak the ancient language. And when I mean ancient, I mean- in the time of the Hero of Time. That's when it was spoken."

Link's jaw dropped. "Seriously!?" he asked. "But, I only played six notes!"

"I told you your family had a reputation for being able to play instruments!" Lineback said. "You did amazing! You still sound like a newb, but that was much better than most beginners."

The Rito who was supposed to play walked over. "The Zoras gave us that instrument," he said. "For nearly 400 years, everyone's been trying to figure how who was supposed to play it."

"But I thought you couldn't play yours," Link said. It was true. Only the instruments the Zoras had given them could be played when honoring Valoo. Any other time, you could play anything.

"Once the destined take their instruments," the boy said, "you need to take another one to Valoo to get it approved. Unless the person lives with us. But you probably have lots of travels still."

Link nodded. "Yes," he said. "Are you sure you don't want it still?"

"No!" the kid said. "It was MEANT for you! The next time one of the kids go to get their wings, I can take my fiddle up there to get it approved. Din knows Valoo is picky!"

"He's only 1500 years old," Garl said.

Stomping.

"Sorry!!"

Everyone laughed.

"Are you guys staying here tonight?" Koh asked.

"Yes," Lineback said. "I think we should get going tomorrow morning, now that things are cleared up. With Valoo now back to normal, we should get pretty far."

"I thought we were staying for a while," Link grinned. "What I meant was that once Valoo was better we'd leave," he said. "I didn't expect you to fight earlier!"

Link grinned, too. "I'm just good," he said. He yawned. "Let's get some food…please?" Many of them had not eaten, waiting for when Link had come back.

Stampede. Large groups of kids went running up to the counter. Hot soup was served, but that was just the beginning. When the soup was eaten, fish was served. It was bright pink with black flecks. It must've been spice or something. Everyone seemed to hesitate before eating it.

Link looked to Lineback, but his friend looked as if he had never tried it before. So he shrugged and took a fork. The first thing he thought when he ate it was 'hot!!!!'. He spit it out. His face was bright red and steam seemed to be coming out of his ears.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!"

Koh burst out laughing. "You have to eat it slowly," she said. "Small bites. Too much is way to hot and too little has no taste."

"How the heck does that work out!? Lineback!!"

"What do you think I am!? A walking encyclopedia?!"

"Yes!" Link said. "You're smart!!"

"Only in the facts about history!"

"EXACTLY!!"

Sparks flew between the two. They looked away from each other and ate their fish. But they couldn't stay silent for long. With all the excitement and laughter, how was it even possible?

"YEAHH!!!!!" the kids screamed for some odd reason.

---

"We've given you some food and water to fill your preserves," Leader said. Marry stood next to him, then Koh, and the four musicians. "Valoo, as Koh says, says thanks. We all wish you a safe journey."

The sun was rising on the horizon. For the first time in quite a few days, the sails was raised and there were no dark clouds corrupting the nice beach. Animals were everywhere. Standing on the beach were Link and Lineback, ready to go sailing for their next location. Not only had they gained new friends, but new items and maps and all sorts of things to help them.

"I don't know how to thank you!" Link said.

"Helping us was good enough," Leader said.

Koh ran up and hugged Link. "Thank you!" she said. "It was terrible listening to Valoo's cries and now we have a story to pass on! And new friends!"

Link smiled nervously. "G-Glad to help!"

Lineback laughed. "Okay, now let's get going," he said. "The wind is perfect this time of day. I'm pretty sure there's some Ritos who have been waiting a long time to get their wings, too."

Koh nodded and backed up. Her sleeves hand down to the floor, but Marry's were hardly down to her knees. Link was sad. They had wings; then again, he got to travel by ship. He thought that was great.

Together, Koh and Marry pulled the rope down from the ship, letting it fall into the water. Lineback and Link climbed up, one at a time, and jumped onto deck. It was quite wobbly for Link, but his friend had no trouble.

"'Bye!!" the four musicians called. "Don't forget to visit us sometime!!"

Link smiled and waved as the ship sailed away. They waved back, quite enthusiastically, but that wasn't what startled Link. High on the mountains, a fireball shot into the air. It exploded, and Link knew that Valoo was grateful. They all were grateful.

He turned when they began to head inside, they were now very far away, and sat down. "That was some island," he said.

"Just wait!" Lineback said. He checked the wind and then his compass. "I don't know where we should go next. Hyrule City?"

Link blinked. "But this place isn't known as Hyrule anymore," he said.

Lineback wagged a finger. "No," he said. "It hasn't, but after Link saved Hyrule from Ganon, Tetra and Link found a new land. Sadly, they were kicked out about 400 years ago, but they rebuilt the city on a large island."

Once again, Link's jaw fell open.

"You are a walking encyclopedia!"

* * *

Now the real fun begins! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. The Song of Purity

Hyrule City was huge! Imagine an island that was only a city. It had a huge castle right in the middle, far from the ocean, with many smaller buildings and parks around it. Shops were everywhere. Little kids played on the grass that grew close to the shore. The city was truly amazing, especially if you were two kids looking for a place to rest.

Link shielded his eyes from the sun and squinted. Hyrule was getting closer. They could see shops, buildings, stuff like that. But it wasn't that that they were hoping for. Their food had run out that morning, and their water was getting close, too. It didn't help that they'd gone off course during a huge storm about three days ago. So far, it'd taken them a week to get there. It seemed that it had been months since they'd been to Dragon Roost.

"Looks like we're almost there," Link said. "Do you think we'll make it in time for lunch?"Lineback laughed. "Of course we will," he said. "We've just got to find room…"

He was right. Almost every place for boats was filled by larger boats. Looked as if every sailor out there was there. Trading, most likely. Hyrule was the center of trade and pretty much the center of the sea. No one dared travel past the city. If you looked hard enough, dark clouds dotted the horizon just beyond.

After managing to find a spot, they threw the anchor and climbed down the ladder. It was hard to get through to the main city- many large, scary people were carrying heavy items such as treasure chests and bags of bombs. Link hoped that none of the bags dropped. If they did, the whole harbor would be destroyed in one simple explosion.

"Come on," Lineback said. He grabbed Link's wrist and pulled him behind one of the buildings. The place was clear of any hurrying people. Link followed when his friend let go. They walked through alleys and past lots of people. Soon they were in the middle of the city, right in front of the castle.

"It's huge!" Link exclaimed. The smooth castle walls shined in the midday sunlight. The cones at the top of the towers were golden and bright. Even the huge, castle doors seemed to be shining. "Is this where Zelda lives?"

Lineback nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I'll tell you a secret, but only if you promise not to tell anyone."

Link saluted. "I swear I wont tell!" he said and let his guard down. Lineback nodded.

"Alright," he said. "But first, let's go get some lunch! I'm starving! Maybe we'll meet my friend on the way there."

"Okay!"

Link followed Lineback again. His friend seemed to really know his way around this place. But he had been studying maps his whole life and probably visited the city a few times. Link suddenly knew that he was right because Lineback led him over to a store that seemed really good. It was pretty much hidden from the rest of the city, and most people didn't seem to notice it.

The most wonderful smell ever was wafting from the little stand. Fish was being sold, already cooked. There were really looking fruits there, too. Inside was red-haired woman that looked much like the man Link had gotten his shield from. She looked younger, not much older than Kay, his sister, but she had a look of authority.

"Long time no see, eh, Line-y?" the woman said with a quiet laugh. "I see you've brought a new friend with you this time. Lineback laughed nervously. "You guys want anything?"

Lineback nodded. "Some rainbow fish?" he asked. "And…some oranges?"

"Of course," the woman said. She turned around and placed something on a thin slab of stone. Under it was a burning fire. "Who's this boy you've brought?"

When Lineback didn't answer, Link looked at him. He nodded, so Link guessed that he should answer. "Link," he said."Link?" the woman asked. She sounded really interested. "Well then, Link, welcome to Hyrule City! You'll really enjoy this place. Line-y over there knows every one of the better places. They're always somewhat hidden. By the way- I'm Roarua."

She turned around and placed two cooked pieces of meat on a plate. A few oranges were set next to it. "10 Rupees," she said.

"Feeling generous today?" Lineback asked as he fished out some rupees.

Roarua shrugged. "I've been getting lots of rainbow fish lately." She nodded when Lineback handed her the Rupees. "You two have a nice day!"

Link waved to Roarua. She seemed pretty nice to him.

"Alright, squirt, let's go," Lineback said. He handed Link one of the plates and started heading away.

Link kept looking back. She had looked so familiar. He'd never seen a race like that before. Sure, he'd probably remember the name if he thought hard, but being in the middle of a large city with people heading to lunch, it was hard to think.

Soon they sat down at a large park. They sat next to the rocks, using them as seats, and looked around. This islands was huge. This huge park was only a little bit of the city. There were lots of trees around, with grass, and a fountain in the middle. The path they walked up circled around it.

"This place is…" Link began. In truth, he had no words for it. "Amazing." That was an understatement.

"Agreed," Lineback said. He tossed an orange to Link and began eating the fish. "Dude, try it."

Link blinked. "You sure?" he asked. Lineback nodded. So he tried it. It was the most amazing thing he had ever tasted. It was really good, like the fish Kay used to cook for him when they were little. But this… "Geez! All of this stuff is really good!"

"Told you."

"Lineback!"

The two swallowed what they were eating and looked around nervously. A girl with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes walked up. She wore a long pink dress and had purple over her eyes. There was something in her hair that resembled a necklace.

"Hey, Zelda," Lineback said after catching his breath.

Link nearly choked on his fish. "Zelda?" he asked. "I-I thought she stayed in the castle."

Zelda smiled. "I can come out whenever I want," she said. She caught the orange that Lineback threw to her. "Besides, when I saw your ship, I knew that you guys had come and really wanted to see you. Lineback said that he'd come back with a new friend!"

"I swore that I wouldn't come back without a friend," Lineback said. "But that's not the real reason we're here."

Zelda nodded. "You guys want to stop the sages, don't you?"

"Huh?" was all Link could manage.

Lineback gave a sheepish smile. "I planned to tell him later, but I guess I should tell him now, no?"

"I'll help," Zelda said.

They began to tell him a story.

There were about 6 Sages. Darkness, Light, Ocean, Wind, Storms, and Sand. The Wind sage was no where to be found, but the sage of Storms was thrashing around on Triforce Plateau.

When the Sage of Storms was little, the Sage of Darkness kidnapped him from his home. For years the sage filled the kid with hatred, so much that no one could stop it unless a certain song was played. On what, no one knew.

And soon the other Sages were beginning to think that they were soon going to face the same fate as their Sage of Storms. But nothing happened. The Sage of Darkness had did that on purpose. It made the others afraid of him, so afraid that they did everything in their power to do exactly what he said when he said it.

The island that once belonged to Zelda and Link's ancestors was taken over after that. They booted everyone out and took it over. The Spirit Tower resides now as the Sage Tower, the home of the Sages when they were human.

With so much hatred and darkness, clouds of dark fog covered the place. The fireflies grew used to it and slowly turned their lights from yellow to light blue. All life- the cows, snowmen, Goron- disappeared. It was now a cruel, cruel land.

"W-what does that have to do with getting Kay back?" Link asked. His main mission was to bring his sister back.

"Everything," Lineback said. "There's this bad-guy named Zain. He kidnapped Kay on the Sage's request. But they wanted you, not her, so they've been interrogating her. They're on Time Stop island."

"Time Stop?" Link asked. "How do you know all this stuff?"

"I had a little help from some friends," Lineback said.

"Time Stop," Zelda cut in, "is a really special island. It literally means what the name implies. If you were to be stuck in the island for three weeks, you would have been gone for only three days. Time Stop's one of the islands the Sages took over. It's where Zain resides. We believe that it's also where your sister is located."

Link froze. "R-really?" he asked. "K-Kay might be there?"

"Yes, but in order to get there," Lineback said, "you need to have some sort of item. The only person _who knows where the item is, is a Gerudo. But the only Gerudo who knows where it is, is the Sage of Storms."_

_Link's jaw fell open. "The…the Triforce Plateau. That's the plateau that could be seen from my island…isn't it?"_

"_Bingo."_

"_How do we get the item from the Sage of Storms?" Link asked. "It has to be easy, right?"_

"_If you think that fighting a rage-filled pterodactyl is easy, you're gonna die before you can say Zelda." Lineback sighed and leaned against the wall._

_They were in Zelda's room, talking about what they were going to do. There was no way they could talk about it without raising panic- the citizens knew very well what had happened to their old home hundreds of years ago. _

_Zelda sighed. She was sitting at her desk, thinking hard. "To defeat him, you'd have to have Ryell on your team," she said. "Ryell and his father are the only ones who know the song to calm him down- but they went missing 500 years ago."_

_Silence._

"_If they went missing, what makes you think we can get Ryell on our team?" Link asked._

"_Because, Ryell had recently been spotted," Lineback said. "Remember how I told you he was one of my friends? Well, we were friends when I was really little, but then he disappeared again. Now…"_

"_He's evil," Link guessed. Lineback nodded._

"_What we've gotta do now," Lineback said, "is get Ryell back onto the good team, use him to get the special item-"_

"_How is Zain able to get into Time Stop if he doesn't have the item?"_

_Zelda came back down to earth. "We've all be wondering," she said. "We believe that the Sages, who own the island, can control who goes in or not. The item grants the user passage through it without having to get permission."_

_Link sat down on the couch. "That's annoying," he said._

"_Yup."_

_Lineback sat down next to Link and thought. "This had to've happened to my ancestors before," he said. "Lineback traveled around with Link, but they weren't doing anything like what we're doing." He sighed. "III was just a simple trader…. Nope, can't think of anything. There's never been anything like this before."_

_It got quiet for a while, while everyone took what they had to do and put it into their minds. _

"_What's a Gerudo?" Link asked._

_Lineback grinned. "Finally," he said. "There's an island pretty close to the Sage Island that's pretty much all desert. It's like, three times bigger then this city with a small city in the middle. That's where the Gerudos live. You, me, and Zelda are Hyrulians, an ancient race. The Gerudos are also ancient. They have bright red hair and really dark skin."_

"_Roarua!" Link exclaimed._

"_Yup!" Zelda said with a smile. "The Gerudos are also responsible for guarding the Sacred Items."Link put two and two together. "T-this shield…"_

"_Yup," Lineback said. "That also means that whoever has the item we need is probably Gerudo. Bad thing- they're mean to people they don't know. Which means I'd be screwed. They trust you two, because you're good guys."_

"_Let's go to their island!" Link said. "Maybe we can ask them if there's a way to beat the pterodactyl."_

"_Smart!" Zelda said. "Why didn't we think of that, Lineback? That's a perfect idea. And whoever is with me and Link will also be treated well, so they wouldn't kill you!"_

_The window shattered. Zelda jumped up. Lineback threw his hands in front of him, a small bubble forming between them. Link grabbed the hilt of his sword, ready to pull it out. Right there, standing in front of Zelda, was a nasty looking man. He was really tall, with dark, navy-blue hair. His eyes were yellow, with red under them. One of his hands, the right hand, was mechanical. _

"_I'm going to need you to stay quiet," the man said, voice muffled because of the mask he wore. He clenched his mechanical hand. Before anything could happen, the man had grabbed Zelda and was headed out of the window again. He stood on the sill, glaring at Link. "I'll come back for you later." Then he was gone._

"_Zelda!" the two boys left exclaimed._

"_Let's go," Lineback growled. He stormed out of the room, leaving the door open for Link. _

_They rushed down the stairs, past the guards, and out the door. The people in the city were going nuts. Apparently the man had caused major damage. A building was on fire. A huge crater stood where Roarua's shop had stood. The city did not look good. _

"_Where is he?" Lineback snapped._

_Link shrugged. "I don't know!" he said. He looked around. There were scratch marks on a few buildings. He ushered for Lineback to come look at it. They came to the conclusion that the man must've come through here- the scratch marks were three, straight lines as if Zelda had been struggling, or if he had decided to climb a building._

"_Ryell," Lineback growled. _

"_That was Ryell?" _

"_Yes," Lineback sighed. "Now, keep your sword out. We're going on a safari."_

_They ran down to the docks. The pirates were all knocked out, draped over their broken treasure. None of them were dead, but they were knocked out good. They wouldn't be getting up for a while. But that wasn't why they where there. Link was lead down another alley, but they were not having a very good time. Ryell was no where to be found. It was like he disappeared._

"_Come on Zelda," Lineback growled. "Scream!"_

_A high pitched shriek echoed through the abandoned city. They dashed down the street that the shriek was coming from. Up on the roof, Ryell was getting ready for something. A large swirling mass of purple and blue was in front of him as he waved his hand in circles. He didn't notice the two kids staring up at him. Zelda was on the ground, Ryell's foot keeping her pinned down._

"_If only we had a bow and arrows," Lineback hissed._

_Link knew what to do. "Hey, freaky!" he called. "Yeah, you!" Ryell shot him a glare. He wasn't expecting the two to have come down here. There went their element of surprise. Oh great._

_Ryell looked from Zelda to Link. "You!" he growled and jumped down. He landed in front of them, finger-claws glinting in the sun. "I'm gonna need both of you!" He lunged forward, grabby Link by the neck. The boy's eyes grew wide. He grabbed the metal fingers around his neck and tried to pry them off. _

"_Hey!" Lineback growled. "Ryell, what happened to you?"_

_His eyes flashed with anger. Ryell turned and looked at Lineback. "You will not question me," he growled. He threw Link against a wall and headed back for Zelda. "They don't need him yet. Watch out- GET OFF!" _

_Link landed on the guy's chest, sword in hand. "You will let Zelda go," he growled. Ryell seemed to grin behind that mask of his. He lifted a hand and threw Link to the side. Link hit a wall once more. A quiet 'humph' could be heard when he hit the ground. _

"_You jerk!" Lineback growled. He threw his hands forward and a bubble appeared around the other. Ryell spun in different directions, trying to get out of the bubble. Every time he hit it with a claw, Lineback with cringe slightly. _

"_You're still pathetic at magic!" With one swift slash, Ryell sliced open the bubble and landed gently on the ground. He spun, throwing Link away once more. He climbed up the wall and grabbed Zelda. She had just stood up, trying to run away. _

_Lineback threw his arm back. A huge gust of wind pulled Ryell over the wall and onto the ground. Link jumped into the scene, grabbing Zelda. He jumped forward, then spun to see what was happening. _

"_Get to the ship!"_

_Link nodded. He let Zelda onto her feet and bolted out of there. The princess was right behind him. Both made it quite easily to the harbor. The ladder was still down, but the waves were getting rough. A storm was brewing with huge gusts of piercing wind._

"_Go," Link said. Zelda nodded. She began to climb up._

"_Need anything?" she asked. The girl was terrified._

_The boy was about to say no, but stopped himself. Would the song he learned a week ago work against the enemy? He thought about it for a moment; it made Valoo happy. Could he make Ryell happy while using the song? Or was there another song he could learn? _

"_Yes!" Link suddenly said. "Go into Lineback's room! It's right where the first door is. On his desk is a fiddle! Bring it to me!"_

_Zelda nodded. She disappeared. _

_Time ticked slowly for Link. Every second wasted seemed like an hour. It was excruciating. But not even a minute later, Zelda came back and climbed down the ladder. In her hands was the fiddle he had asked for._

"_Thanks!" Link said. He grabbed it when Zelda held it out. "I want you to stay on the ship, okay? Lineback would maim me if I let you get hurt."_

_For a moment the two stared at each other. Link knew, at that moment, that Zelda would never listen. He spun and headed down the path, trying to remember the exact notes that the Rito had taught him. Not only did it take him a while, he was almost at the battle scene. When he remembered, a horrible sight unfolded in front of him. Ryell leaped forward, grabbing Lineback by the neck. He backed up, lifting the kid into the air._

"_Stop!" Link exclaimed. Lineback V was his best friend even if he was a jerk! He couldn't loose him! He tried to play the notes, but they came out as horrible as the first time he had played. It stalled him! Ryell let go of Lineback and covered his ears. Suddenly a song could be heard. Ryell stopped cringing. He looked up, an odd sparkle in his eyes._

"_That song…" he growled. "I-I've heard it…" He growled. "No!"_

_Link tested out a few notes. He began to play. It sounded like a song that someone would play to an ocean god- quiet and peaceful._

_Something hit him in the chest. Ryell's mechanical hand was also a claw-shot? He was dragged forward and thrown high into the air. Link landed hard ontop of a building. Right next to Zelda! She looked down at him. A piece of grass was held up to her lips and the hand that was used to hold it in place was off._

"_Link!" she exclaimed, dropping the piece of grass. She pulled him up. "Are you okay?"_

_Link groaned. "He needs to stop throwing us," he said and began rubbing his back best he could. He suddenly stopped. Where was Lineback? He looked over the edge and saw him knocked out by a wall. Or, seemingly knocked out. _

_Something loomed behind them like a large tower. Zelda and Link's eyes grew wide as they turned around. Ryell was standing behind them, fist clenched. He looked ticked off, as if he had just lost the most important thing to him._

"_You will never play that song again!" He dodged a sword-slash from Link and lunged forward. _

_Link sidestepped, but was almost not fast enough. He spun around, sword out far, and hit the enemy in the foot. He instantly collapsed to the ground. Zelda held up another grass piece that she was holding. She began to whistle. Ryell clamped his hands over his ears._

"_Stop!" he hissed._

_He looked around. Link's fiddle had to be somewhere. And it was. It was on the ground where Ryell had grabbed him. After a quick look around, he jumped down and grabbed it. He listened to the song Zelda was playing, then began to play it himself._

_A pained groan came from above. Then they figured out that Lineback had probably been playing 'possum. He slowly opened a green eye._

"_What song is that?" he asked._

_Link shrugged best he could while playing. The notes were soft and slow, and soon Link found a pattern to it. Then the notes stopped. Zelda had stopped. The groaning stopped._

"_Guys, come up here," Zelda said quietly._

_Link stopped playing. He walked over to Lineback and held out his hand. His friend gratefully accepted the help and stood up. A huge gash was on his shoulder, a huge tear in his favorite jacket. They used the vines growing on the building to climb up. On top, Ryell was on his back, unconscious. Zelda was kneeling next to him, muttering softly._

_Lineback dropped to his knees next to his friend. "Welcome back," he said with a slight grin. "You've been out of it for years."_

_Link blinked. What was happening? "What are you…?" he asked._

"_He was trapped on Time Speed," Lineback said. "It's the opposite of Time Stop. If you're trapped in there for three days, you'd be gone for three weeks. One day is a week."_

"_So a year is like…52 years," Link muttered. _

_Lineback nodded. He suddenly grabbed the side of his head. Zelda and Link caught him before he fell to the ground. They laid him next to Ryell. He was unconscious. _

"_What was that song?" Link asked._

"_The Song of Purity," Zelda said. "If played by an instrument like you're playing, it makes everything nearby that's bad into good people. It's either permanent or temporary, depending on what it is."_

_Link didn't say anything else. They had brought their two friends into the castle's hospital, and both were now laying on one of the beds. Lineback V actually had many more cuts and bruises that when they thought. Three huge gashes were actually in his shoulder, along with a cut on the forehead and a badly scratched arm. Ryell was just unconscious. He didn't have very many cuts, but he was still pretty beat. _

"_I don't understand it," the doctor muttered. "Ryell went missing one hundred years ago."_

"_But he appeared again about 6 years ago, then disappeared again 3 years ago," Zelda said. She and Lineback shared everything. _

_It got quiet again. Link absentmindedly tried to play the song he had played earlier. He had suddenly gained a new friend, and hopefully he had been turned good and it was permanent. It would be amazing if it was. Ryell looked strong and looked like he could take out anyone with a swipe of his claws. _

"_I…didn't…mean to." Ryell lifted a hand. "It was him…"_

_Zelda looked at the doctor. He nodded and walked away, leaving the group alone._

"_What are you talking about?" Zelda asked quietly when she got over to Ryell's bed. "Who?"_

_Ryell let his hand hit the bed again. "An…evil Gerudo," he said. "Zain…I believe his name was. We were trapped on Time Stop for about…four days."_

"_A month," Link breathed._

"_Yeah…" Ryell sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "My father had always told me that Gerudos…were never to be trusted. But he…he was persuasive…" He closed his eyes._

"_Let's leave him be," Zelda said. She rubbed the bandages around her torso. There was a cut there from the battle before, and it had been pretty deep. She yawned. "Let's go get some dinner. Maybe Lineback or Ryell will be okay then." _


	5. Time Stop Island

Zain sat in his chair, waving his fingers around. Balls of light followed wherever his fingers went, like being juggled. He was resting his cheek on his other hand, looking bored. He had been on Time Stop island for many, many years, but never aged. Not even Rhea, his assistant, aged. She usually sat in the corner, playing her harmonica.

"He's getting annoying," Zain muttered. "He appears every day, wondering where the boy is."

Rhea sighed and put her harmonica down on her lap. "He just wants Link," she said. "Ryell has seen many different Links, and with Kay, it's hard to figure out."

The man just grunted and rolled his eyes. His hand stopped juggling the balls of light and glided over the small, triangular pyramid on the armrest. It was red, and semi transparent with three glowing dots in the middle. He had yet to figure out what those dots meant.

"Zain…."

"Shall we go check on our…guest?" Zain stood up. He gestured for Rhea to follow him, then looked at the deep pool of water near the wall. A white, blue-spotted head popped up above the surface. The kid looked around with huge eyes then pulled himself out of the water. He wore shorts and a quiver, and bow.

"I'm in," the kid said, red eyes bright. He shook his head to get the water off of him and followed his friends. "Seeing Kay?"

Zain's eye twitched. "Klondi, it'd be best if you didn't talk right now," he growled. As he walked, he pulled on his forehead protector and turned the corner. There she was, right there.

The girl. Her dark blond hair was messy and dirty. Her tunic was a mess. She had big, frightened blue eyes that just got bigger when Zain appeared. Instantly her hand flew to the hilt of her sheathed sword. Zain lifted a hand to show truce and walked up to her.

But she just turned and ran. She rolled forward, dodging a flying, flaming arrow. Zain suddenly appeared in front of her. His speed was amazing, and she hated it. The man just had to grin- Klondi and Rhea stayed back. This was not their fight. They were just the backup.

Before the girl could jump away, Zain lunched forward, grabbed her wrist, and twisted. She spun around, left arm high in the air, unable to do anything but stand there. Her eyes closed, her breathing got quicker.

"I told you!" she exclaimed. "I do not know where Link is!"

Zain's eyes flashed oddly though there were no light sources. The walls glowed with an odd light, as if glowing moss covered every little bit. He now had Kay, but she wasn't going to give in. Interrogation didn't work. Torture didn't work. Nothing seemed to work, really.

"Zain, calm down," Rhea said and walked up. Her golden eyes shone brightly. "I believe that she's telling the truth. If nothing seems to work, she must not know!"

"Whatever." Zain dropped Kay's hand. She shot away and kneeled down against the wall. Her hand was on the purple hilt once more. Zain shot her a glare as he walked by. "I expect you will find your way out of here soon enough."

"Don't be so sure," Kay growled. "I may just kill you now!"

"Yeah, sure." Zain headed away. Rhea and Klondi shot the girl a glare before turning and heading after him.

-----

Time Stop island was a large island shaped like a gear. The entrance led to an underground maze that stretched miles in each direction. It was one of the biggest dungeons, right next to Time Speed. Traps were everywhere- flaming arrows, pit falls, monsters. It was a horrible dungeon compared to it's opposite. Dark, dreary, a bad-guy's dream.

"Kay, are you okay?"

"Shut up."

"What did he do to you?"

"Shut up."

"Why aren't you talking to me?"

"Xel!"

The blond-man shrank backwards. "Sorry," he muttered. He spun around and walked down the hall. The other girl followed, glaring. She had just got back to him after a run-in with Zain, the mastermind of all the traps and enemies in here. It was his fault that this once beautiful maze was destroyed.

Kay followed. Her dull, blue eyes had lost their look of hope. "We won't get out of here, will we?" she asked. "If we stay in here any longer, we're dead. We've been gone for almost two weeks in out-side time." Two months in their time.

"We'll get out of here, trust me." Xel said. "With Nayru on our side, we'll easily get out of here!"

Right. Zain probably had Din on his side. Kay didn't know what Goddess would be on her side. At the moment, she had no courage in her what-so-ever. When Ryell had kidnapped her during an evil-spell, it had been revealed that her and her brother were descendents of The Hero of Time from nearly a thousand years ago.

Together they walked through many halls, the traps and pitfalls already revealed due to how long they had been stuck in there. They could have sworn that something was up; Zain hadn't sent his minions to re-set the traps like the first few days they had been there.

Xel knew something was wrong, as always. The member of the Zelda family just knew that.

"Watch out!"

Kay jumped in front of him. She grabbed her sword with her left hand. In one, quick, spinning movement, she knocked many Chus, from the ceiling, away. They burst into puffs of smoke.

"I did not…" Xel gulped. One more move and he'd have been fried. Electric Chus.

"Keep a look out," Kay growled. Ever since Ryell had disappeared from the dungeon, Xel had been a bit crazy in the head. Kay didn't blame him, though. Ryell, Xel, and Lineback V had been best friends since they were little.

Xel shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Yeah, I will," he said. He pulled off his pack and began digging through it. Every so often they'd come to a treasure chest that was full of food. But it was usually gone the next day because they had to keep their strength up. Rationing would have been the better idea, but they didn't know what would happen- would it rot? Or would a minion come up and steal their pack? He pulled out a small block of cheese and handed it to Kay.

"But…" she began. "We have to keep this saved up…"

"You looked tired," Xel pointed out. "And I can hear your stomach growling. Keep your strength up. It'll be hard to get out of here."

The girl reluctantly took it. She held it up to her lips, unsure if she should eat it or not. When Xel just stared at her, she opened her mouth and took a bit of cheese. Her friend smiled and stood up. He pat her on the shoulder and took off down the hall.

"Wait up!" Kay exclaimed, almost choking. She charged after him, wondering why his footsteps had suddenly stopped when he turned the corner.

What she saw wasn't pretty. A wall was closing between the two. Xel was facing her, a look of terror on his face. If Kay started running, she could probably just make it. But it took her too long to think. By the time she made it there, the wall was only a few inches to the ground. With a slam, the wall shut, and there was no way the two could see each other at the moment.

"No…" Kay stared in dismay. "XEL!!" She pounded on the wall. "XEL!! Can you hear me?!"

Defeated, Kay dropped to her knees and rested her head against the wall. She fought back tears. This dungeon was huge. It was hard enough trying to backtrack to find a different tunnel; the dungeon walls kept changing, creating different paths. If you didn't know the correct route, you'd be stuck wandering forever.

"Oh Nayru, help us…"

She sat there for quite a while, head resting on the wall. Kay didn't know what to do anymore. Xel had all the food and water, first-aid supplies, and most important things someone would need in a dungeon. The two had been inseparable, until now.

"This isn't…ugh." She stood up. After a head rush, she turned down the hall and headed in a random direction. This dungeon was there for torture. If torture was what Zain wanted, it was torture he wasn't going to see.

--------

"Why is this stone so important?" Klondi asked and grabbed the small pyramid that rested on Zain's armrest. "I mean, it's just a stone! With three little lights in it. It looks stupid to me."

Zain's eye twitched. He snatched it away from Klondi and held it up to the light of the torch. The lights shimmered green. "I don't know what it does, but it was one of the Sacred Items my tribe guarded. They had this thing hidden away, with traps and boulders and everything to keep people away. No one knows what it does."

Klondi snorted. "Just a piece of crud if you ask me," he said.

The two stared at each other. Sparks flew between them. Their tribes were total opposites; the Gerudo lived in the desert, working hard and building their buildings up. The Zora lived under water, lazily drifting the day away, building their buildings out instead of up. It was a wonder the two kids could even stand the other long enough to work together.

The sound of a harmonica filled the air. It echoed through the room, creating a tune that one could almost dance to. Rhea sat in her chair, on the other side of the room, right next to the door. In her own way, she was the peacekeeper. She didn't believe in evil or good, or right or wrong. She thought that things happened because they do, and just went with the flow.

"Oh I always love your songs," Klondi said, breaking the tension. He sat down in his chair, tapping the arm impatiently. His arm-fins, dark blue, shimmered purple and black. The Zora was a corrupted Zora, one that would most-likely be found as a Twi-Zora, residents of the Twilight World. They were a happy bunch, but deadly when need-be.

Zain muttered something under his breath. He could care less for Rhea's songs, but he, amazingly, cared for his friends. If Klondi liked them, he'd let him listen to them. But the tune was getting to his head. He began to absentmindedly tap his armrest, following the beat.

As Rhea played the song she had learned from her father, the three dots began to glow. No one noticed, though. But as she neared the end of the song, the dots disappeared. Three figures began to appear in the middle of the room.

"Hey, butt-head," the middle one said with a grin. "Damn- they were right. You DO look like me!"

* * *

_**Shinzu**_: Hoped you liked this chapter! I needed a break from Link and Lineback V for a while, so I came up with this. You could call it a filler chapter- but this is a very important chapter if you ask me. Ten points if you can figure out who the three people are.


	6. Paranoia

Zelda shook her head in disappointment. Lineback was up and said he was fine, but he was obviously in pain. Why did he get up, you ask? Food. He was starving. Apparently he hadn't eaten all of his fish, and Link knew that when he was hungry, he was hungry- like a panda or something.

"But I need food!" Lineback whined.

The doctor held out some mush. "Eat this," he said. "With all the medicine in you, you won't be able to eat for a few days."

Lineback glared at the bowl. "You expect me to eat that crap?" he asked. The doctor nodded. Lineback snatched the bowl from him and turned around "Fine. But the second I'm allowed to eat again, I'm leaving this place and getting real food."

Link entered the room just as Lineback left. He let his gaze follow the older kid out of the room, then flicked it over to Zelda. "What's up with him?" he asked. "Not getting the food he wants?"

"Exactly," Zelda sighed. "He gets cranky, doesn't he?"

"Yeah." Link looked around. Ryell was still laying on the bed, one hand resting on his chest. He looked tired, lost, almost. "Hey Ryell, are you okay?"

All he got was a grunt. Then, "Yeah…somewhat…"

Link smiled. "You'll be better soon, I hope?" he asked.

"I hope… Link, guys, I need to talk to you…" Ryell sat up weakly. All that power he had just been given yesterday was suddenly gone. Adrenaline rush must have been over.

The doctor instantly left. He knew the routine. Whenever Ryell wanted to talk, he'd leave. That was Zelda's request. So when he left, the two left in the room sat next to Ryell's bed. They had asked him about something he had said earlier.

"You said something about… 'we' being trapped in Time Speed island," Zelda said. She sat down in the chair close by. "Who is 'we'?"

Ryell looked past the two. He didn't say anything for quite a few minutes. "A girl…After Zain tried to interrogate her… He sent her into the dungeon. He thought that…thought that when she wandered around enough, years and years from now, he'd let her out. But…I don't know what happened to her. I was sent to…"

Link knew. Sent to find Zelda and him.

"Who was the girl?" Zelda asked.

"The girl…" Ryell looked right at Link. "She said that she was someone's sister. Link, she said. Find Link and tell him."

Link's eyes grew wide. "You've heard from Kay!?" he exclaimed, jumping up. "Where is she!?"

Ryell shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "She may have escaped from the dungeon, but…"

Zelda placed a hand on Link's shoulder. "Thanks for telling us," she said with a smile. "You're certainly a lot more friendly than before."

"We've gotta go help Kay!" Link said. "We've got to!"

"Yes, but how do we get INTO the dungeon?" Zelda asked. Link's eyes suddenly grew sad.

"Oh, right," he muttered. "And we can't leave until Lineback is better… She could be hurt for all we know!"

Zelda shook her head. "What Kay the only one?" she asked suddenly.

"No…" Ryell muttered. "A boy…he seemed as confident as Kay… Told everyone he'd never give up. I don't remember his name though…"

Link looked away. "I'm going to go find Lineback…" he said. He headed out the door, thinking. Zelda had told him about her brother. He disappeared about a year ago. Xel, was his name. One of Zelda's favorite friends, only sibling, and one of the favorites in the city. She kept thinking that he was on Time Stop or Time Speed, but didn't really know.

On his way to…wherever he was going, guards passed him like crazy. It was as if they were watching him. Then again, he had just fought against Ryell after suddenly appearing at the city.

"This crap is disgusting."

Lineback!

Link sped up and looked around the corner. There he was, leaning against the wall. His tongue was sticking out as he tried to get over the taste of the only food he was allowed to have. The mush was…gray and goopy, like lava or something, but it didn't look tasty.

"Hey," Link said. Lineback freaked. He nearly dropped his bowl, and he bit his tongue.

"Wink!" Lineback exclaimed. "You thcarwed meh!" He took a few deep breaths.

"Sorry 'bout that!" Link said with a laugh. He walked up to Lineback. "You better hurry up and get better! We need to get to Gerudo Desert!"

Lineback sighed. "Not for two, three more days," he muttered. "You know, my hand looks tastier and tastier the more I eat this crap." He put the bowl down on a table nearby. "I don't wanna stay here."

"Why not?" Link asked. "There's a doctor here and it's nice here! Zelda would be so sad if you left."

"But it's boring!"

"You wouldn't be able to eat anyway." Link did have a point. "Won't you get sick if you eat?"

"I hate you."

"I know."

The two glared at each other for a long moment. Then Link walked away. He didn't want to get Lineback madder than he already was. So he headed for the kitchens. Today he was doing a lot of wandering. With Lineback and Ryell the way they were, there was really nothing to do.

------

"How do you live with it?" the doctor asked as he threw away some bandages. A few minutes ago, Link and Zelda had run to the hospital room to see what Lineback's screaming was about. "He freaks out every time I go near him."

Link grinned. "He's not used to getting hurt," he said. "Can't take the pain." He looked at Zelda. "Want to go outside? Let's leave the challenged to the doctor."

Zelda laughed. "Sure," she said. She spun on her heel and headed down the hall. Link followed. They walked down the massive halls. Soon they came to big doors.

"Let's go!" Link said. He ran out of the castle and into the streets. The citizens were trying to ignore the slight damage done by Ryell. Zelda stepped out beside him. She blinked and headed in a certain direction. It was the direction of Roarua's food stand. Apparently she was a regular customer.

The area was devastated. When they got there, they found Roarua picking up pieces of wood and moving them away. Link ran forward and held up a broken plank before it could fall on his friend. She looked thankfully at Link then pushed it over. It fell with a loud 'thump!' on the ground.

"Roarua," Zelda said and stepped up. "Do you need help?"

Roarua shook her head. "No," she said. "I don't want you two to have to help some poor kid like me. You two go have fun- you deserve it." She gave a smile. "Besides, I can take a lot more hurt than a ruined shop." She turned around and began to push away smaller planks with her foot.

Link couldn't just leave her, but Zelda shook her head and turned away. If Zelda didn't help, Link wouldn't either. Roarua, like most Gerudo he had heard about, was a proud women. Her pride would have been crushed after an attack ruined one of the only things.

"Where are we going?" Link asked.

Zelda sighed. "I don't know anymore," she said quietly. She sat down on a bench and looked up into the sky. Birds flew by, and…was that a dragon?

"What was that?!" Link asked.

"A dragon," Zelda said. "But they're not like the ones in stories from the past. These dragons are raised as pets- they eat berries and plants."

Link let out a sigh of relief. He sat down next to Zelda but stayed at a good distance. He learned the hard way that no one- **no one**- sat next to Zelda unless you were well known to her family. They sat there for quite a while, staring at the sky. People passed them on the streets, helping people whose houses had been destroyed by Ryell.

"Xel…" Link began. "What was he like?"

"I haven't told you?"

"Only little bits and pieces."

"Oh…" Zelda cleared her throat. "He's the heir to the throne. But, much like the Gerudo and Zora, the princes or princess' oldest sibling disappeared, or was stripped of his rank. Xel was kind, and friendly, an ideal king. He believed in his people and became friends with anyone he could. Until…Zain came. He tricked him, then kidnapped him."

That was more information Link had thought he'd get.

"Link," Zelda said, "I'm telling you this because I trust you." Had she read his mind? "I trust you for some reason that I don't know. You're kind, and fun, just like my brother."

It got silent.

_Hey, kid._

Link and Zelda jumped.

_Don't be so jumpy! I'm friendly, trust me!_

The kids looked at each other, eyes wide, terrified looks on their faces.

_Oi! You guys are such retards!_

_Am not!_

_Am, too!_

_Will you two stop fighting?! There's children right there!_

…_Retard._

_GANON!!_

_Sorry, sorry! Geez! No need to have a __**spaz**__ attack!_

_How you became Din's chosen one is beyond us._

_Agreed._

_Link, I hate you._

By this time, Link and Zelda were practically hugging each other. Everyone looked at them as if they had two heads each.

_Wait! Don't!_

Zelda and Link jumped up and bolted. They pushed people away, dodged falling objects, and made it into the castle as quickly as they could. The guards blinked in surprise. None of them had ever seen someone run as fast as that before.

"You've gotta help us," Link squeaked, hiding behind a green-clad guard. Zelda nodded. She was completely pale, her eyes really wide.

"What's wrong?"

"D-wh-we heard something!" Link couldn't find the right words. "I-it was like…"

_They can't hear us, morons._

"There it was!" Zelda exclaimed. The guard Link was behind raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he asked. "And what would that be? A mouse? I can't hear anything."

Lineback walked up. He had new bandages on again. He wore his jacket over them instead of trying to put his shirt on. "I'm going to take these guys," he said and grabbed them by the collar. He spun around and pushed them through the hall. They came up to Zelda's room, which Lineback locked. "What are you guys hearing?"

Link gulped. "Three people are fighting," he said. "The two guys are yelling at each other- the girl is trying to stop them. Then one of them called us morons."

Lineback V gave them the blankest stare in the world. "Brilliant!" he exclaimed. "Thank you, Din! Now my friends are crazy!"

Link glared at him. "Jerk."

"Sorry!" Lineback laughed. "I had to say that. No, no- this is going to happen. It happened once before, with your grandfather, Link. He recorded everything these guys said. Can you guess who these guys are? You did go to school, right?" He seemed excited.

"Yeah, of course!" Link said. "I went to school!" He thought for a really long time. Zelda also had a look full of thought. The two suddenly looked right at each other.

"The chosen ones!" they exclaimed.

Lineback cringed. He couldn't laugh- it hurt him too much. But he nodded. "Yup," he said. "The first three. Well, there were many chosen ones, but still! The main three- you remember, right? Think of your namesake."

"Link…" Link breathed. "The Hero of Time. My sister said that my mother really believed that she should name me my name."

"And Zelda." Zelda gulped. "I've always been named Zelda. For thousands and thousands of years."

_Thank Din you freaks are smart._

_Ganondorf, do not talk to my descendant like that._

Zelda and Link jumped.

_Agreed. My great…great, great, great, great-_

_Get on with it._

_Great, great, great- lots of greats! Grandson will not be treated harshly._

_You guys are annoying._

_YOU'RE ANNOYING! __**YOU'RE **__the one who kept coming back after like, what, 100 years?! YOU'RE the one that kept ruining my childhood! Oh yeah, Link, Zelda, you can only hear our voices for right now. Until you find…._

His voice became muffled.

_We have to let them find out for themselves!_

_That was my line!_

_Well sorry, princess!_

_Ganon, I hate you._

_I hate you, too._

Zelda and Link listened intently. If these guys were their namesake, or ancestors in Zelda's position, they thought that they should listen carefully. And they did- but they only got a little information. The guy whom they thought was Link was so close to giving them a lead on where they needed to go. The deeper, eviler voice was kind of funny and sarcastic, but he could shoot back insults pretty well- he never said anything that would help them. And by process of elimination, they guessed that he'd be Ganondorf. Zelda was a dead giveaway. She didn't help them either.

"C-can we talk to you?" Zelda asked nervously.

_Nnoooo _came the sarcastic answer. _Spirits totally can't talk to low-lifes like you._

_I swear to Farore- if you keep talking like that, I'll stab your right here!_

_I'm ssoo scared._

_You should be!_

_He's probably gotten used to being stabbed, Link. You've only fought him 5 different times and won._

Link and Zelda burst out laughing at Zelda's comment. If you took away the fact that these guys were spirits, you'd almost thing they were right there with you!

The guys talking suddenly stopped. A loud pounding hit the door. Zelda, Lineback V, and Link looked at each other.

Lineback went to open it, then sighed when it was only the doctor. The guy may have been old, but he was strong.

"Can I see you?" he asked Lineback.

"S-sure…" Lineback squeaked. He looked at Link and Zelda, who nodded, and followed the doctor out of the room.

_Failed._

_Ganon- will you just shut up already?_

_No._

_You were quieter when you died!_

_Yes, but nearly one-thousand years of nothing to do probably got to his head._

_It got to your head, too._

_Shut up._

_No!_

--------

Ocean spreading in every direction. Sunlight. Wind blowing. It had been two days since the voices left. They hadn't returned, thankfully. And, better yet, Lineback had been let off wounded-status for the most part. He was sore all over, but he could at least steer a ship. And Zelda. The King was reluctant to let her travel with them, but what princess wants, princess gets.

"This is so great!" Zelda exclaimed. She was leaning over the side of the boat, smiling happily. This was the first time she had ever been on the ocean, let alone a ship. "Do you guys do this every day?"

"Yup!" Link said. He frowned slightly. No matter how hard he tried, he never got better at the fiddle. It seemed to only work when he was playing certain songs. But he was, at least, a little better than about a week and a half ago. He knew it'd take a long time, but hey, when there's nothing to do on a ship, you might as well practice. "This is only half of what we see. There's huge forests on giant islands, and really cool rocks, and all sorts of things!"

"Wow…" Zelda spun around and began to explore much like Link did when he first got there. She disappeared into the room she had first went to when Link needed her help.

Lineback sighed. "You two are nuts," he said. "Do you seriously have to know every little bit of this place?"

"Yes," Link said. "You try traveling in a place for more than a week without exploring."

"Yeah yeah, whatever!" Lineback rolled his eyes. The joy in his eyes hardened as he looked forward. Link followed his gaze and gasped at what he saw. The huge island looming on the horizon was shrouded in darkness, much like Dragon Roost Island. It looked…scary, for lack of a better word.

Link's breath caught in his throat. Lineback shook his head and turned the boat, trying to steer **away** from the island. The younger kid remembered Zelda talking about this island; Sage Island. He had yet to figure out what a sage was, but just by looking at it, it probably wasn't a good thing.

"It looks…" Link was at a loss for words.

"Sad," Lineback muttered.

"What's up?"

The boys froze in fear. But it was just Zelda. They turned to face her.

"Sage Islands?" Zelda asked. Link and Lineback nodded. "Oh, yeah, Ryell's awake."

"Don't let him up here," Lineback said.

Right. Ryell had begged the doctor to let him go with the others. The doctor didn't feel that Ryell should go, but he didn't have any cuts or bruises; he just got light-headed every so often because he was still trying to get used to not being evil. For the past few hours, he'd been below deck, sleeping. How he didn't get seasick was amazing to them.

"Where are we going?" Zelda asked.

"Gerudo Desert," Lineback replied. "Might as well start there, no?"

"True!"

Link rolled his eyes. He sat down and leaned against the wall. At the moment, he wasn't playing anything. He was just enjoying being out at sea again.

Zelda suddenly gasped. She stood next to Link, looking over the edge. Said boy jumped up to look at what she was looking at. Dolphins, dark purple, jumped out of the water. The closer they got to the large island, even though they were sailing around it, the darker the dolphins got. Their eyes glowed dark red, and blue markings covered them from nose to tail. None looked friendly at all.

"What the heck?" Link asked.

"The Twilight…" Zelda breathed. "Lineback, stay AWAY from that island!"

"I'm trying!" Lineback growled. He looked into the sky; the wind had suddenly stopped. The air was growing cold. "The Sages aren't hap-"

A huge, loud roar filled the air. The waves that were not there a second ago rose over the ship and crashed down. Link flinched, putting his hands over his head. But the ship, and them, was surrounded by a huge bubble. Ryell stood in the door way to the rest of the ship and had his mechanical hand out. He and Lineback had made the giant bubble!

"Morki isn't pleased," Ryell breathed. He walked up next to Link and looked at the island they were sailing parallel to.

"Who's-" Link began. Ryell muttered 'speak of the devil!' and threw his hand into the air. Magic glittered and attacked something in the air.

Everyone looked up.

Coming out of the clouds was a huge, very long dragon. It had frills like a frilled lizard, and dragon-fly like wings that seemed webbed between each one. It was a light blue, the color of the water, with a long snout and a very long tail that trailed behind him. To Link, this dragon would look like a peaceful dragon if it's eyes were feral-looking and yellow.

"DUCK!" Lineback shouted.

Everyone hit the deck. The dragon swooped over, growling angrily when he realized his enemies suddenly lost a few feet. It looped through the air and came back, baring it's razor-sharp teeth. Link gulped. It was looking right at him as it swooped over them once more. With every flick of its tail, giant waves crashed around them. Every growl turned into a tornado. Every roar caused a whirlpool that appeared not too far away from the ship.

"Farore help us!" Ryell growled. He lifted his hand into the air and something green appeared. He held it for a moment, brining his hand down, before it disappeared.

"You've gotta explain when this is over!" Link snapped. He jumped up. If the Song of Purity countered evil, would it work against the dragon? He didn't have time to figure out though, because the ship was nearly flipped over.

"LEAVE!" the dragon shouted. "LEAVE NOW!"

Ryell put his hands together the best he could. He closed his eyes, and suddenly the air around him stopped moving. "Morki, Sage of the Ocean, grant us passage." The dragon hovered above their ship, growling.

"What is your destination?" Morki growled. He flicked his tail. A large wave crashed down nearby.

"Gerudo Desert," was Ryell's reply.

"State your names."

"Ryell."

"L-Lineback V."

Link gulped. "L-L…Link."

"Zelda."

The ocean calmed around them. "Then, servants of the Goddesses, you have safe passage to, and from, Gerudo Desert."

It looped backwards, diving into the ocean. A small splash misted through the air. Though the ocean was calm, the clouds over head looked dark and menacing. Link thought that now was the best time to ask.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Morki, the Sage of Oceans, ravages the sea whenever anyone comes near," Ryell said quietly. "Unless you are a servant of the Goddesses, you will die trying to get past."

"Then how do the Gerudos get past?"

"They're servants of the Goddesses," Ryell explained. "Them and Hyrulians."

"Finish up later," Lineback said. "We're still in a huge danger zone."

_So now you're servants of the Goddesses. These guys really favor you over us, huh?_

_Not now, Ganondorf!_

_He does have a point._

_Link! This world has changed many times! Just get over it!_

They had come back!

"My head…" Link groaned. He put his hand to his head. He dropped to his knees, growling in pain. They were getting close to something. Whatever that something was, though, was going to hurt them hard. His vision blurred. Lineback ran up to him, saying something, but that something couldn't be heard.

"Link!"

That wasn't Lineback.

"Link, wake up!"

Link opened his eyes. He glanced around. They seemed to be floating on something invisible. In the world they were in, dark blue stretched around, twinkling stars lighting up the night. At first, Link thought that he had woken up on deck, but the three people there were…odd.

One looked like him, with a green tunic and messy blond hair. The girl looked more elegant. She wore a long, pink dress, and had jewels in her hair and on rings. The man was really odd. Flaming orange hair, dark amber eyes…Gerudo.

"What…?" Link asked.

Zelda stepped forward and held out her hand. Link grabbed it and was pulled to his feet. Instantly he was hit with a head rush. The Gerudo grabbed his collar just before he collapsed again.

"Welcome to our world," Zelda said kindly. "Though you will not be staying very long, we thought that it was time that you met us."

"I…I don't understand…"

Link laughed. "You'll understand as time goes on," he said. "I am Link, the Hero of Time. You are my descendant, and the one out of two siblings that I chose to wield the Power of Courage." He gave a little bow.

"Young hero," Ganondorf said, surprisingly sounding kind. Link could hear that it was forced. "You are about to start a quest much bigger than you ever thought possible. Find people you trust and people who you could live a very long time with. And remember, we're watching over you."

The Hero of Time nodded. The sun began to rise. It just…appeared. The stars disappeared. Once again, Link was hit with a very bad headache. He heard 'see ya' later!' from one of them. But he couldn't tell who. His hearing was slowly depleting, and his vision blurred.

"Link! Are you alive?!"

Once again, Link opened his eyes. The wood ceiling came into view, then the concerned faces of Zelda and Lineback. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. It felt as if he had just slept a whole night.

"Oh thank Nayru!" Zelda sighed happily. "You are alive! You've been out for at least ten hours!"

Link gasped. He had only been on for a few minutes. "What!?" he asked. "Where are we?!"

"We're on the complete other side of Sage Island," Lineback said. "But that's not the point right now. What happened?" Link didn't feel like he should explain it yet.

"I-I don't know," he lied, though some of it was truth.

"You DIED!" Lineback said.

"DIED?!"

"You weren't breathing, you weren't moving, nothing!" Lineback shook Link back and forth. "YOU SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF US!"

"How did-" Link asked. He felt really dizzy from the shaking.

"I had a few bottles of fairies," Lineback said. "I was going to save them for something important, but this was BEYOND important!"

Zelda laughed. "You came back a few hours after one of the fairies worked their magic," she said. "We're so glad you're back!" She pulled Link away from Lineback and hugged him. "I'd feel devastated if we lost you!"

Link blushed, his facing turning slightly red. Lineback burst out laughing. He looked at his hand; he was pale as heck.

His stomach suddenly growled. "Anyone…have dinner?"

* * *

_**Shinzu**_: ...Yeah, um, sorry that Ganondorf is so...OOC. I didn't mean to. You'll figure out the reason soon enough though. ...x3 Hope you liked this chapter!


	7. Only the Beginning

Link couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched. As he stood on deck, watching the ocean and late-night animals swim by, he thought about what happened. He met three…er, two heroes- and Ganon- from over 1000 years ago just by falling asleep. He pretty much died, came back to life, scared the crud out of Lineback V and Zelda, and has now gone slightly crazy in the head. No, he hadn't told anyone about it yet. Zelda would obviously tell his friend Zelda about it anyway.

"YOU JERK!"

"HAHA!!"

He jumped.

"LINEBACK! GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE!"

"NO!"

"THAT'S MY RUPEES!!"

"I'M JUST BORROWING THEM!!"

Link couldn't help but laugh. They sounded just like Ganon and Zelda when they argued! And trust him- those two are pretty funny. It made him curious though. So he walked across the deck and looked into Lineback's room. Ryell was sitting on the chair, gaze flicking from side to side as Lineback and Zelda chased each other. Lineback had a bag or rupees and was trying to keep them away from the other.

"Catch!" Lineback threw the bag to Link.

Out of instinct…he caught it only to be tackled down a moment later by Zelda. He crashed to the ground, the princess on top of him. She pulled the bag away from him and rolled onto the deck.

"Got you," she said and stuck out her tongue.

Link stood up and put a hand on his head to stop himself from falling over. Since he woke up, he got dizzy spells and usually fell over. Suddenly, he began to laugh.

"You guys are stupid!" he exclaimed.

"Finally someone agrees!" Ryell exclaimed.

"Hey!"

"I find that offensive," Lineback muttered. He pushed Ryell out of the chair and sat down, arms folded across his chest. "Okay, back to business. Link- you're not dying on us, are you?"

"Why would I- oh…." Link laughed. "No, I think I'm fine."

Lineback nodded. "Good. Ryell, you know about this side of the sea. We almost there yet?"

"Give it another five hours," Ryell said. "The Ocean Sage has been kind to us by making the currents change, but after we got away from that island, we've been going really slow."

"Alright," Lineback said and spun around. It was, after all, a spiny-chair. "You guys should go and sleep. I'll wake you up later." He pulled out his paint brush, ink, and lots of papers.

Zelda nodded. Link followed her down the stairs and into the rooms where everyone slept. Yes, they all shared a room, but everyone got their own hammocks, blankets, and pillows. Link took the one on top. Zelda took a different one on the other side of the room. Lineback had put more in as people came, so there were two more left open.

The two sat there for quite a while. None of them slept. In fact, Link was too scared to sleep. What if he 'died' again? Lineback had only one fairy left, and he didn't want to use it. But after quite a while, he drifted off to sleep.

_Light filtered through the large, green leaves of the trees. Link stood with sword in hand, looking up at a big tree. It was saying something, but he didn't know what it was saying. He suddenly felt the urge to nod, then ran into the entrance of the tree. _

_A large flash of light brought him in front of a much larger sword. Another man was saying something he couldn't understand. When he walked out of the room with the sword, a man in blue clothes with a harp stood outside, looking at him._

_He was about to say something, but a flash took him back to the ocean, but he was in a very small boat. It…talked to him! _

"_We've got to hurry," it said._

_Link nodded. He looked into the ocean that was so familiar to him. Then the ocean faded out, turning brown. A little imp was floating next to his head. It blinked and disappeared in shadows. He did, too. But he wasn't scared. Instead, he appeared in front of a city that he guessed was Hyrule city. But the city looked so odd to him. The colors were more…natural, and a large…dome thing was covering the castle._

_Just as he was about to step in, there was a flash._

He sat up straight in bed, eyes opened wide. What was the dreams? Link sat there, staring at nothing. The ship wasn't rocking back and forth as violently as it used to.

"Odd…" he muttered. He jumped out of the hammock, soon beginning to search for his tunic. He found it on the floor where he left it. Before heading out of the room, he pulled on his hat and grabbed his sword.

What he was met with was…surprising! He had slept until noon- the sun was in the middle of the sky- and they had already anchored. They had traveled up a large river, too. But even more amazing was the city. It was tall, all made out of strong sandstone, with a large river flowing through it. Most of the buildings had many stories. From what he was seeing, it was a busy city. Not because of traders or tourists, but because of the citizens. How all of those citizens could fit in one city was beyond him.

"Wow…" he breathed. He saw that the ladder was already down, so he climbed down and looked around.

"Hey Link!" Lineback exclaimed. He ran up to him, a rolled up piece of paper in his hand- he had been standing next to one of the city buildings. "Glad to see you're awake! Wanna see something?"

"Sure, why not?" Link asked with a shrug. Lineback unrolled the piece of paper and held it up to Link. He pointed to a large island next to an island that took up a lot of the paper. "See that? The one your right? Where I'm pointing? Yeah, that's Hyrule city." He moved his finger left and pointed to an island on the other side of the bigger island. "This island right here is Gerudo Desert, where we are now."

Link blinked in surprise. "We got that far in a day and a half?" he asked.

Lineback nodded. "Farore must've been on our side," he said with a grin. "At least we're here. You're gonna love this place."

"Have you ever been here?"

"No. But I've heard stories. It's just like they said. Come on- I'll show you around."

Link nodded and followed. Lineback seemed to know what he was doing. Being in big cities must have given you that power, eh? But enough about that. It was the city that really made Link amazed. Yes, they were four stories tall, but all of them looked like apartments. In the middle of the city- he guessed that because there was a large, flattened area of no buildings- many Gerudos talked, and met with each other. It was a city square!

Around the large, square area were lots of shops. They were shaded by fabrics much like Roarua's shop. What they sold was a variety of different things; pottery, dried fruit, regular fruit, bread, clothes, mats. Link glanced around in awe. This place made Hyrule City look uncivilized! Why? People actually seemed to be doing something and not just walking around.

"RAHH!!!" a little Gerudo kid screamed and ran around. "I AM THE GREAT TUNIK!!"

"Oh yeah!?" another kid screamed. "I am Master Zain!!"

Link looked at the two. They tackled each other and rolled over, hitting many of the adults. Some of them laughed, others rolled their eyes and walked away.

The one at the bottom looked up at Link and Lineback. "Hey there!" he called from about twenty meters away. He pushed his friend off of him and jumped up. These guys, even when little, looked like warriors. "You guys new here?"

Lineback nodded.

"Wow! It's not every day we get other people," he said. He walked over and looked the two up and down. His friend rolled his eyes.

"Don't mind him," he said politely. "The only reason we know you guys is because you came here with Princess Zelda, right? She's at the palace right now!"

"Really?" Link asked. The two kids nodded. "Do you think we could see her?"

The second kid, the one who shouted that he was Zain, shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "Usually only the summoned can go into the palace unless you're royalty."

"Like Zelda," Lineback said matter-of-faculty. A light suddenly sparked in his eyes. "You two are royalty, aren't you?"

The first kid's eyes grew wide. "How did you know!?" he asked.

"The royal family in this desert has amber eyes. Normal Gerudos have blue eyes."

The kids' mouths hung open.

"How did you…?!"

"He's a walking encyclopedia," Link said.

The two kids blinked, looked at each other, then turned and gave the newcomers a little bow of respect.

"We're supposed to do this when we meet new people," the second kid growled at the first. "Not after a million questions."

The first kid growled and stood up. "My name is Narua," he said.

"Brandor," the second kid said.

"Link."

"Lineback V."

The kids nodded in unison. "Link and Lineback? We've been told to watch out for you guys!"

"Come on!" Brandor said and grabbed Link's wrist. "You're wanted at the palace. Zelda's been requesting that you be there."

Narua grabbed Lineback's wrist and pulled him to a path. The two let go and walked on, not worrying about whether the other two were coming or not. All four of them walked for quite a while. Apparently this was a deserted street.

"What were you screaming about back there?" Lineback suddenly asked.

Narua laughed. "Tunik and Zain," he said. "They're really well-known, even if they haven't been seen in twenty years. They were twin brothers, but when Tunik was kidnapped, Zain suddenly grew evil. He disappeared, along with the city's Power Gem."

Link blinked. "Twenty years ago?" he asked. Zain sounded really young when Zelda and Lineback talked about him! "Can you tell us more?"

"Of course!" Brandor said. "We're their cousins- me and Narua are cousins, too, not brothers, so we can get a lot of information!"

"Show off!" Narua growled.

"Am not!"

"Am too!"

"Let's not fight, okay?" Lineback asked.

The two kids' faces suddenly turned red out of embarrassment.

"Sorry," they said quickly.

"We're not supposed to fight in front of visitors."

Link laughed. "It's okay," he said. "Anyway- where did Tunik go?" He was really curious. And hey- wasn't this why they came here?

"Like we said," Narua said, "we was kidnapped. Some of the older servants in the palace found something out though. About three days after Tunik was kidnapped, something weird happened to an island in the Great Sea. A huge storm brewed over the plateau, and loud roaring could be heard. Everyone thinks that that's where Tunik is being held. But no one dares to go there. The Sage of Darkness checks there every other day to make sure 'Tunik's still there."

Lineback and Link gave each other a look that said 'we've gotta find out where this island is'. These kids have already given them amazing information. Maybe all the Gerudos knew about this?

--------

Their palace was at the very back of the city instead of in the middle, like Hyrule. Link stared up at the huge home of the royal family. It was at least four stories tall. Near the entrance, a large gap opened under the second story. Large pillars held it up. Around the right side of it, there was a large pond. A stream flowed out around the back and disappeared in a mess of grass and plants.

"This is where you live?" Lineback asked, surprised.

"Yup," Narua said and headed for the entrance. At the end of the huge gap, there was a door. A pretty dang simple door, too.

Brandor held it open as they went in. Inside was even more amazing. Shiny black tiles covered the floor. A few, long rugs where place in patterns. Small tables along the walls had pots of plants, soaking up sunlight from a window right above. The walls, simple but hard stone, had tapestries hanging with many carved in pictures around them.

Their foot steps sounded as if they didn't belong there. There should've been more people, because Link got an eerie feeling.

"Is it always empty?" Link asked.

_No._

He flinched. "G-Ganon!?" he exclaimed.

_Stupid!_

Link's face turned a bright shade red when he realized he yelled that out loud. "Urk- let's keep going," he said, waving his hand, trying to dismiss what he had just said. "I-I'm sure Zelda's waiting!"

The two kids shrugged and continued down the hallway. Both of the other kids let out sighs of relief when they didn't ask any questions. Link, the whole way, kept taking deep breaths.

_You'll get light headed if you keep doing that._

_You scared me!! _Link thought. It took him a moment to realize that he was talking to him through his MIND. _Urk…please…don't do that?_

_That's what I thought. And- no, I won't stop!_

Link couldn't say anything back. Narua and Brandor stopped. They knocked on the door they had stopped in front of. There was rushed foot steps. Suddenly, the door opened. A Gerudo with short, red hair looked at them. Her eyes were blue, so she must've been one of the servants or whatever.

"Come in, come in," she said and stepped to the side. "You two stay out though." She was looking at Narua and Brandor.

"What?!" the kids exclaimed.

"King's orders. Come in, Link, Lineback."

Link and Lineback did as they were told. The servant closed the door behind them.

This room was a pretty big room, much like an office. There was a table in the middle, with papers and pens scattered everywhere. Zelda was sitting in one of the chairs, a simple, black, wooden one. Another man, older with fading, red hair, had his arms folded across his chest. His bright, amber gaze was looking at the two who entered the room.

"Took you two long enough," the man growled.

Link grinned nervously. "Sorry, sir," he said, remembering his manners. He _was _talking to the leader of these people, after all. "We had no clue that we were supposed to come here. And I kind of…overslept…"

The man's gaze softened a bit. "That's typical," he said with a sigh. "I suppose Narua and Brandor were playing around?"

Lineback put his hands into the air and put on his scary face. "Roarr! I am the great Tunik!" he exclaimed.

Link did the same thing. "Rahh! I am Master Zain!!"

Zelda laughed. The man laughed for a moment, too.

"Don't mind them," he said with a sigh. "Now… Oh, sit down." He waved his hand.

The women from before brought up two more chairs.

_Ahh. Same old same old, eh? Nice seeing these guys back in business! It was so BORING when they all scattered!_

Link gulped but sat down next to Zelda.

"My name is Kandor," the man said. The kids said their names. "Zelda here tells me you need information about a certain…citizen."

This guy didn't sound friendly.

"Well…" Link began, but looked to the other two for help.

"Yes," Lineback said. "We need information about Tunik and Zain. Your…sons, I believe?"

Kandor glared at Lineback. "That is not of importance," he said and unfolded his arms, resting them on the table. "But what I want to know is _why _do you need this information?"

Well, Link though, we need this in order to save my sister from your son, turn a freakishly evil sage good, and save the world!

_I don't like him either._

_Agreed._

Zelda was now speaking, too.

_Watch out for this guy _she said. _He doesn't seem like one to give out information easily. You'll probably have to go through the Training Grounds or something to prove yourself. Kudos to Ganondorf._

_Hey! _Ganondorf snapped. _It's not __**my **__fault these guys follow traditions from a __**thousand **__years ago._

Link had to try hard not to laugh. Kandor flicked his gaze to him, then back to Lineback.

"Well?" he asked.

_Tell him that you know where Zain is. But it's in a place where no one can go unless they have a special item._

_A thousand years with only your…er…brothers? to talk to did you good, eh Ganon?_

_Shut up! Why the hell am I talking to Link anyway!? Where the hell IS Link?! _

_I…honestly don't know._

"We know where Zain is," Link said quickly. Lineback and Zelda shot him a glare. "But it's in a place no one can go to unless they have a special item. And there's a person who's like you who knows where the item we need is."

Kandor raised an eyebrow. "Prove it."

"But, sir," Lineback said quickly, "we only know where he resides. He moves around. A lot."

Silence. Then, "He's always been the jumpy type… Alright, I'll tell you some information. But, you have to prove yourself worthy. I can't just give out certain information about my sons to a bunch of kids like you. Lineback, Link, you'll get to go through the Training Grounds. Zelda, you'll help in the kitchens."

_Dang. Sexist much? _Zelda asked.

_You have to realize that Zelda probably has no knowledge of fighting, or defense, and probably isn't fast enough to get through the training- she does, after all, have about twenty pounds of clothes on her._

_-------------_

The worst part? It was lunch time. The Gerudos, there were only about 300 that lived _in _that city, gathered around in one large area off to the side of the city, where all the apartments were located. The other thousand or-so visitors often had picnics with their families or friends by the grassy shore of the pond or stayed in their temporary apartment located on the other side of the city. The point is that, the 300 Gerudos living there came there for lunch. It was like a big pot luck, but there were cooks who cooked all the food. Every day.

And that's what she got stuck doing. She pushed her way out of the door, holding a big tray of freshly baked bread. Outside, the citizens were gathered around, waiting for when they were able to eat. The princess sighed. These guys knew torture, all right.

"There," she said and placed the tray next to piles of thin and lettuce. "Is that all, for right now?"

A man shook his head. "No," he said. "In a few hours, after you've eaten, we'll have to prepare for dinner."

"You do this every day?"

The man smiled. "Yes," he said, "but Kandor has specifically chosen us because we're fast and can deal with the heat better than most others."

Zelda looked the man up and down and realized that he was right. The man was thin and looked quite agile. Perfect for having to get through a long day in the kitchens. And now that she looked at it, everyone else was like that, too.

"Get back to the kitchens," the man said. "They'll need you there."

Zelda nodded and headed back into the building right behind the long table. She was able to move quite quickly now- she had traded in her dress for the light clothing her new friends gave her. When it was time to leave for the day, she'd be able to get her dress back. But for now, she didn't want it. As she walked into the kitchens, a blast of heat greeted her.

Only a few more minutes of this, she thought, and she'd be done. For a few hours.

-------

"THIS IS SO HARD!!"

Link dashed through the halls of the Training Grounds. It was a huge maze with large rooms where you, pretty much, had to think like a thief. The whole time, he was begging Ganondorf to help him- but the freak just kept saying 'no'! Zelda said that it was good for them to do this.

By them, she meant him, because he'd lost Lineback about…two hours ago.

"AAHH!!!!"

Link rolled away from a flaming arrow that was so fast it nearly singed his hair. In his arms were bags of sand. His job was to get to the end of the maze, grab the bags, and get back without dieing. So far? He'd just managed to get the bags. After two and a half hours.

The next room he came to was one he'd not been in before. It was full of burning lava. There were no stepping stones either! How can he get through without killing himself? He was about to turn back, but Lineback ran into the room at that time. He crashed into Link and they almost fell over the edge. Bad idea.

Both of them screamed. Link grabbed onto the edge and dug his sword into the ground just in time. Lineback clung to him for dear life.

"I can't…breathe…" Link gasped.

His friend blinked then looked down. He sighed and let go, then landed on a small, flat piece of…bubble magic.

"YOU COULD DO THAT AND DIDN'T TELL ME?!" Link exclaimed.

Lineback shrugged. "I forgot…until my LIFE flashed before my eyes!"

Link sighed and pulled himself back up. "How're you gonna get back up?" he asked.

"…..A rope?"

"REALLY!?"

The two argued for quite a few minutes. Then, Link suddenly fell, despite being on all fours. The lava around Lineback moved away, leaving a pit of nothingness. It didn't help when his magic suddenly ran out either.

Both of them were falling through a pit of nothingness. Both were terrified, though Lineback tried to keep his cool. Link was freaking out. The trip lasted not even a minute. They landed on something hard.

"W-who is it…?"

"Sshhh, they may be enemies."

"But…"

Link landed first. Before Lineback came, he looked around. Many sad-looking Gerudo were crowded around the other side of the room, around two glowing objects- a green one and a blue one. Small pyramids that were glowing. Each had three little dots inside of them and gave off an odd glow…

* * *

_**Shinzu**_: Craptastic chapter is craptastic, no? I've run out of ideas at the moment. I needed to get something down, or I'd freak- and right now, my patience is zero.  
Yeah, probably a bit too fast-paced, but I had to do something.  
Yes, Ganon and Zelda hate each other.  
Yes, Link is nowhere to be found.  
Yes, Gerudo Desert is my favorite island so far.  
But, wait for Zora Mountain. :'D  
Yes, Kandor is a JERK. D  
Yes, Zain and his brother, Tunik, are 35 years old.  
There, just had to get that out.

Hope you liked it!


	8. What the Dead Do in Their Spare Time

Link and Zelda, who were sitting on the ground, both had their heads resting on their hand. Their gaze was following the familiar Gerudo they had been stuck with. The freak just wouldn't sit down. He'd been walking back and forth for a long time. But, amazingly, the two 'good' guys didn't blame him. They were just as bored as he was and they still hadn't gotten used to talking to their descendants through whatever Farore had done to let them speak.

The stars in their little dimension started glowing brighter as the sky turned dark blue and the orange-blue began to disappear. That's when Ganondorf finally decided to just sit down. He had a glare that could kill, but, seeing as everything in that world was _dead_, it didn't really matter. Link, who had a bored look on his face, changed his gaze from the stars to the trees surrounding the area. At least the plants were normal. The ground, which should have grass and dirt, was actually a glass-like floor with swirling colors. Annoying.

"I'm so bored," Zelda breathed. She yawned and stood up, only to sit back down again due to boredom. "How long were you stuck here?" She looked at Link.

"Time actually went fast when those four hadn't shown up," Link said. As much as he loved the newer chosen, he couldn't help but blame them for ruining the flow of time. "Seriously." He looked into the sky, a thoughtful look on his face. "Farore actually let me fish, and hunt, and use my sword. But when you two showed up, all that was taken away!"

"I'm not the one who gets distracted by shiny things!" Ganondorf snapped.

Zelda laughed. "Yes, you are," she said. "Remember? When Midna was there."

Ganondorf looked away. "Din, I hate you."

"I wouldn't say that if I were you," Zelda said with a cheeky grin.

Link rolled his eyes and resumed his original position; elbow on his knee, head resting on his hand. His usually bright blue eyes had dulled. Not even visiting the other two Links would take away the boredom that showed.

Then the air in the middle of the three shimmered. It got very quiet.

"_Morki isn't pleased._" they heard Ryell breath.

"_Who's-"_

Only Zelda was the one to flinch slightly at the roar that came from the picture. The other two had serious looks.

"_DUCK!_"

"_Farore help us!" _

They watched Ryell, the son of Link's clone's grandson's friend, throw his hand into the air. Link smiled slightly.

"_You've gotta explain when this is over!_" the current Link snapped.

"_LEAVE_!" Morki shouted. "_LEAVE NOW!_"

"_Morki, Sage of the Ocean, grant us passage_."

All three could only watch the rip in the dimension. Ryell, Link had to admit, was very skilled in magic and one of the closest to the Goddesses he had ever seen- other than his clones, of course, and the other chosen. He was actually surprised that Morki didn't recognize the current Link.

Okay, he thought. I've got to find a way to tell us apart. Darn traditions.

Then they heard Lineback's explanation about how the servants were able to cross oceans that Morki was currently residing in. He was very surprised. The little kid didn't say anything about the Ritos, Zora, or Twili. Maybe he… Link didn't finish his thoughts.

"So now you're servants of the Goddesses," Ganondorf breathed, actually only talking to himself. Link saw the current Link flinch in surprise. "These guys really favor you over us, huh?"

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Not now, Ganondorf!"

Link could only give out a sigh. "He does have a point," he pointed out.

"Link!" Zelda glanced at him. "This world has changed many times! Just get over it!"

It got quiet.

--------

Link let out a quiet groan. He was BORED! The only thing going on was Ganon and Zelda arguing with each other again as they watched Link talking with Kandor. Soon he just got up and began walking away. The forest seemed to call to him. After many days of doing nothing and just sitting there, it was nice to see the trees- a gift from Farore when Link had died. He had wished to be in a place of trees, a place where night and day and rivers and all of that still existed.

It was nice to see grass when he entered the forest. He was actually surprised to see many animals running around. Usually they were hidden, even if they knew Link very well. And then they all turned and ran towards him. Link stepped out of the way and they ran past. The wolfos were howling, a surprised look glowing in their eyes.

"What the…?" Link climbed into a tree to see what was going on. Then he remembered that this dimension was also shared with two other people; the Link who could change into a wolf and the other, smaller Link. He smacked his head. This was going to get confusing _real _fast. He was going to tell Zelda that he was naming himself Time, the wolf-Link Wolfo, and the last Link…Pirate. That took care of things. Well, the naming situation.

"Hey!"

A wolf skidded to a stop. Pirate, the new name of the smallest Link, had been riding him like a horse. Both of them noticed…Time in the tree and walked over to it.

"Hey Link!" Pirate called out.

Time shook his head. "Call me Time now!" Link said.

Wolfo tipped his head to the side and barked.

"Well, I have a feeling that…sometime later, we're going to have to be told apart…somehow," Time explained. "And all three of us have…the same name. Same with…" He blinked. "Zelda and Ganondorf…"

"Brilliant." Pirate rolled his eyes. "So what are you calling us?"

"I'm calling you Pirate, and him Wolfo."

Wolfo growled.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but I seriously have a feeling that someone's going to get confused with all are names being the same," Time said.

"That takes away all the fun!" Pirate complained.

"…Hey, why were you guys running, anyway?"

"Zelda and Ganon are fighting again," Wolfo said as he changed back into a human. He helped Pirate, who had fallen to the ground, onto his feet. Time gave a nervous smile.

"What about?" Time asked.

"Well," Wolfo began, "Zelda and Ganon from my realm started arguing about who was more distracted. And, of course, it ended in the fishing pole thing and…yeah. I forgot how scary Zelda could be…man, if someone gave her the chance, she could probably destroy all the enemies you fought."

Time raised an eyebrow. "Really now?" he asked.

"Yeah. She gets angry whenever Ganon is near."

"He only stalked her for years."

Pirate and Wolfo grinned, both trying to hold back their laughter. Then Wolfo looked into the air. He grabbed Pirate and jumped into the bushes in time to miss a light arrow that, you guessed it, Zelda fired. Time, Wolfo, and Pirate all had terrified looks on their faces. Zelda was _mad_. She usually only pulled out the arrows when any of the Links said something wrong- she got offended easily, that Zelda.

"RUN AWAYYY!!!" Wolfo exclaimed. He changed into a wolf, a power that Farore had given him as one of his wishes, and ran away, near the clearing where Zelda and Ganon were.

At that moment, Link decided to come up with names for those guys. His Zelda would be Wisdom. Wolfo's would be…Navii, and Pirate's would be Tetra. Those guys were easy. But he didn't have time to think of any more. He had just managed to get out of the tree just as, once again, a Light Arrow shot past. He scrambled into the clearing to see Wolfo as a wolf and Pirate cowering behind Ganon, who was sitting there with a 'WTF?!' expression.

Wolfo looked out from behind the Gerudo and barked. Unfortunately for them, Ganondorf decided to open his eyes in time to see a Light Arrow aimed towards him. He jumped out of the way with amazing speed. Wolfo whimpered and ran out of the way, the arrow grazing his tail. Wisdom raised an eyebrow and didn't even move. She, too, had a 'WTF?!' expression. Wolfo was running in circles, blowing on the end of his tail.

Farore never said they'd stay smart when they died. Or it was just…natural, dog...instinct?

"What the _hell _is going on?!" Ganondorf asked.

"Navii got mad," Time said.

"….?"

Time let out a sigh. "Okay, so, I have this odd feeling that, some how, some way, someone's going to have to try and tell the difference between our names. I mean, there's three groups of people and each group has the same name, right?" He stepped to the side as a Light Arrow shot by. "So, I made up names. I'm Time, he's Wolfo, he's Pirate. You're Wisdom, Pirate's Zelda is Tetra, and the other one is Navii. She reminds me of Navi….kind of."

"Navi?" everyone other than the Hero of Time's…acquaintances, the two from his time, asked.

"A fairy."

"Like Ciela?"

"Who?"

"I'm leaving." Ganondorf, who was standing off to the side, left.

"NNNOOO!!!!" Wolfo exclaimed, grabbing his arm. "We need you as a shield! Sure, you may disintegrate when you get hit, but at least you'll come back to be a shield again!" He pulled and tried to drag the Gerudo over, but nothing happened. His feet were firmly planted.

Wisdom sighed. "How long will we have to deal with this?"

"Until…Navii is done with her fit of rage," Wolfo said. "Oh, hey, what are you calling them?"

When the HECK did that guy get so damn happy and energetic?!

"Shield," Time said and pointed to Ganondorf.

"WHAT?!"

Time grinned. "Shield…Fish, and…Puppet!" He had, thankfully, seen all the battles between his clones and Ganondorf's clones.

"I'm not going to ask what you're on." Ganondorf pulled his arm away and walked into the forest.

"Spoil sport," Time, Wolfo, and Pirate muttered.

* * *

_**Shinzu**_: So, I've heard that it would be good to...well...figure out a way to distinguish these guys from the main characters- and each other, in this case! I had so much fun making this world, and, yes, Link (Time/Pirate/Wolfo) are SSSOOO out of character for who they are. xD I find that, if you're stuck in one place for a long time, you kinda do get a bit crazy- I should know.

Bring on the filler chapters! xD Eh, I'm only doing this for my own need. These random chapters not only answer a few questions, but they give more room for lots of things! The joys of creating your own world. -Eye roll-

I was, like the other filler, quite lazy with this one. Only because I'm not into LoZ right now- I mean, I am, but I'm into something else a lot more at the moment. But no worries! I'm playing Phantom Hourglass to keep me interested so I don't abandon this for half a year.

Ocarina of Time Character Names:  
Link- Time  
Ganondorf- Shield  
Zelda- Wisdom

Wind Waker Character Names:  
Link- Pirate  
Ganondorf- Puppet  
Zelda- Tetra (there's a no brainer)

Twilight Princess Character Names:  
Link- Wolfo  
Ganondorf- Fish (Do. Not. Ask.)  
Zelda- Navii

Random names, but I do, actually, have reason for them (that stupid glitch in TP helps a lot! owo).


	9. The Returning Prison

Link groaned and pushed Lineback V off of him. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, glancing around every few moments. His gaze kept ending up by the two crystals, with their glowing dots. They were pretty, shiny and vibrant, but semi-transparent, enabling people to see the glowing dots inside. He liked the green one the best, because he just seemed to like green. Then he remembered the Gerudos that were standing next to the small shelf the crystals were on.

"Ow, ow, ow," Lineback groaned as he rubbed his stomach. Link had pushed him onto a large rock. "Dang it, Link!"

"Sorry," Link said with a sheepish grin. He stood up and looked at the group. There were three. "Hello. I'm Link and that's Lineback V. Do you know how we got down here?"

"Yes, we do," the tallest of the group said. She was probably the oldest but her voice was shaky. "There are sometimes random pitfalls in the Training Grounds, but lately, the entrance has been sealed and no one can get out. And there are Redeads patrolling the area. The light from the lanterns are all that keep them from coming over here."

Link followed the girl's gaze and saw a bunch of zombies. Their mouths hung open, and their blue skin made them look horribly creepy and disturbing. He had heard stories about how these guys could appear wherever. Their screams paralyzed. Only light or hitting them on the back could kill them…

"Have you tried fire yet?" Link asked. "Or light?"

"We haven't learned magic yet," one of the younger boys said. He cleared his throat. "We should introduce ourselves. I'm Loror."

"Klu," the girl said.

"Nu. We've been stuck in here for almost a week, we think. We can't get out…"

Klu nodded. "That tunnel over there- you see it?- caved in." Link and Lineback looked at the tunnel. "We don't know how, and it's annoying crazy."

Link frowned and sat crisscross applesauce on the floor. He folded his arms across his chest and watched the tunnel. "Man, we really need Ryell here, yeah? Wouldn't he be able to move those rocks?"

"He's strong, but he might not be able to get through a cave in," Lineback said, now sitting like, and next to, Link. "We need to kill those Redeads first. We can hit them on the back. Someone distract them."

Loror's frown suddenly turned into a grin. "That's my specialty," he said. "Distractions!" He pulled a slingshot from his pocket as Link and Lineback stood up. "Watch." He pulled back on the rubber band and shot a small pebble onto the ground. It exploded in a very small explosion, only a few feet in diameter, but one that was big enough to catch the attention of the Redeads. They all began to walk over to where the explosion was.

Lineback pushed Link out of the light. "Go," he hissed. "Get them on the back with your sword!"

Link crept towards the Redeads as quietly as he could. The groaning made him shiver. As he drew his sword, the Redeads began to get bored of the area where the explosion was. They turned around and spotted Link. The boy quickly attacked, but before he could kill three, the other ten screeched. Link cringed and fell to his knees.

"Pull yourself together!" Lineback exclaimed.

Klu and Nu gasped. A Redead jumped onto Link and began sucking his health away.

Link jumped up and began running around with a Redead wrapped around him. "RAPE!" he exclaimed, tears rolling down his cheeks. Lineback and Nu began calling to him, saying to get into the light. But Link was too into the running around, trying to get the Redead off of him.

A loud crash echoed. Everything, even the Redeads, stopped and looked at the tunnel. Rocks began to fall. Something shot out of the newly formed hole, grabbed the Redead off of Link, and threw him against the wall. It fell and disintegrated.

"Okay, who in the name of the Goddesses stepped out of the light?" A bunch more rocks fell. Ryell stepped out, fixing the metal hand on his left arm. With a snap of his fingers, the torches around the room lit up. Link was amazed at that. Lineback couldn't even do that kind of magic. "Man!" he continued as the Redeads screamed and died. "I was just calmly doing my own thing in the city and you five go off and get yourselves trapped with a bunch of freaking Redeads! Yeah, yeah, three of you were already here, whatever! Marshals…ha!" He pulled Link up and looked around the room. "This place is huge. A room just for those crystal things I've been hearing about?"

"Y-yeah," Klu breathed. "How…?"

Ryell folded his arms across his chest. "A thousand years of being trapped in Time Speed Island lets you hear some pretty interesting stuff." He dropped his arms to the side and walked over to the crystals. "Link, green one's yours. Take the blue one to Zelda. We've gotta get out of here. Like, now. Kandor's really mad, and when Kandor's mad, the apocalypse comes."

"Wait, you can't just take those!" Klu exclaimed. She stepped forward as if to stop Link from getting near the crystals. "As range marshals, we have to protect these! Only the…." She stopped in the middle of her sentence.

Everyone turned around to see where she was looking.

"Link…?" Lineback asked.

"I'm right here."

Lineback looked down and saw the short kid next to him. He looked up. A man who looked just like Link was standing there, a smug look on his face.

"I believe that they should," he said.

_He's such a show off, isn't he? _

"Oh, yeah, you can call me Time if you wish. My true name is Link, but I believe that this is his name, yes?" The man named Time, or Link, or whatever is was- Lineback V was confused- gave a quick bow and looked at Klu. "It would be great if you let this children have those."

"I've seen him before!" Link exclaimed. "When I 'died'!"

"Yup!" Time said. He wave. Link just then noticed that he was transparent. He could see the wall through him. "Call me a ghost if you must. I've got to go." He waved again and disappeared.

"We were trapped!" Klu exclaimed.

"Pitfalls! Random ones!" Nu argued.

"It was NOT our fault that we fell," Loror said. "We were going through the maze, making sure everything was as it should be, when the pitfalls opened. Crazy magic was set on the maze, making all pitfalls lead to the room with the crystals."

Kandor raised an eyebrow. "And you couldn't find a way out?" he asked.

"Cave in," the three young Gerudos, Link, and Lineback said.

Ryell nodded. "And there were a ton of Redeads, and they didn't know how to create any light whatsoever. I think you guys should start learning magic at a much younger age than 18."

"You're not the leader here, kid," Kandor snapped. Ryell backed up. "Now, I'll send someone in there to check it out. You six get out of here. Do what you want with the crystals. I have no need for them." He turned and walked down the hall. Soon he turned and disappeared from sight.

"Well he's a pleasant man," Ryell breathed. He spun around on his heel and headed the opposite way down the hall. "Oivey. Let's just go find Zelda or something. This place is pretty cool, and Kandor might be calmed down enough later for you to ask him about Zain and Tunik."

Link, Lineback, Loror, Nu, and Klu followed.

"We can head down to the archery range," Klu said. After getting out of the tunnel, they had spent a day resting and eating enough food to make up for what they lost. The other three who weren't part of that tribe, Zelda had gone off to Nayru knows where, had stayed by their ship and stayed on the beach.

"That would be fun!" Link exclaimed. "I've never used a bow before. Or shot arrows."

"That's the same thing, shorty," Lineback said. "But that would be fun, yes? Don't the Zoras also specialize in archery?"

"I thought they specialized in the arts?" Nu asked.

"Gerudos specialize in archery," Ryell said. "You aren't that much of a walking ecyclopedia at the moment Lineback. What's up?"

Lineback shrugged.

"Well, anyway, Zoras specialize in the arts, like Nu said." Ryell stopped walking. Everyone else stopped. "There's a man named Klondi. He's not much older than Lineback. He's one hell of an insane fighter from what I remember. I think that's where you thought archery came in- he taught himself how to use a bow. But when he fights it's like he like, dances or something. He's already moved on by the time his toes hit the ground."

A stunned silence. Zoras were known for crazy dancing that helped in battle, but that kid had to be very good in order to move on that fast.

"Well, yeah, let's head up to the archery range!" Ryell clapped, but it didn't do much good. His metal hand made no sound. "Err…"

Klu rolled her eyes and lead the way. They passed by many shops and people and past tons of kids and animals. It was actually quite devoid of adults during the mornings. That left plenty of room on the archery range! But they weren't there yet. There was a special, large, empty area on the other side of the huge city.

"Oh hey, wait!" Link stopped walking. He backed up and looked down a different street. "Zelda?"

"Well duh!"

Zelda walked down the street. Ryell grinned at what he saw. She had changed her thick gown for simpler clothes. The Princess now wore a pink shirt that stopped above her belly button, baggy pink pants with a red sash around her waist. A hair tie was holding most of her hair back, her bangs falling around her face.

"Whoa." was all anyone had to say.

"Oh come on," Zelda said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm going to come watch you shoot arrows, 'kay?"

Link nodded.

"Hey, what's a marshal?" Link asked as they finally neared the archery range.

"We're the ones responsible for you guys," Klu said. Loror and Nu nodded. "We make sure everyone's following the rules. All three of us just got promoted to marshal after like, two, three years of training."

"You need training…?"

"Well, our group only went shooting like, six times a year," Nu said. "We can come whenever we want, but our training only counts when a marshal is here."

Klu nodded. She walked over to a shed and opened it up. "Come in here," she said. Everyone stepped inside. It was pretty big in there, and bows and arrows were everywhere. "Uh…finger tabs and arm guards. You need those. Over there. Pick any." She pointed to a box.

Link walked over and opened it. There were arm guards and tons of finger tabs. He chose the purple and green ones. Then Nu handed him a bow. He looked around and realized that everyone was already ready and heading out.

"Hey!" Link dashed out after them. A question suddenly popped into his head. A random one, yes, but it was starting to bug him when he didn't get a chance at the moment. Finally, when he was able to and when Klu wasn't busy, he asked her. "Klu, how come the archery people had to guard the stones?"

Klu raised an eyebrow. "No clue," she said with a shrug. "Kandor…I honestly think his age is getting to him."

"How old is he?"

"Almost 70. As you can tell, he's going delirious."

Link blinked. "He's old."

Everyone burst out laughing."Wait till you see the Zoras," Lineback said. "They live longer."

Link's mouth fell open. "That's crazy. So…you were in that room…?"

"Oh, we were patrolling the area," Loror said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "There a big circle inside the outer part of the maze that shouldn't have any pitfalls. When we were almost done and heading there anyway, we fell."

Link nodded. "Alright, I get it now," he said.

Loror nodded. "Archers ready?" he asked.

A horrified look suddenly crossed Link's face. "Wait wait wait wait wait! How am I supposed to do this? I've never shot before!"

"Just watch the others. We'll help as you go!"

"Alright…"

"Yeah! The range is open!" Klu exclaimed. She walked by and placed quivers next to each archer.

Everyone but Link raised their bows. Klu was the range marshal, or, for the sake of the readers who don't know what that is, the person who makes sure no one hurts the others.

"Link….?""I don't think I'm holding this right!" Link lifted his bow, but it looked odd. He tested out the string. It felt as if his arm wouldn't pull it back.

"Wait, aren't you left handed?" Lineback asked and let his arm drop. There was a _thwak! _from Ryell's arrow hitting the target. How he was able to shoot with a metal hand…

Silence.

"Fudge. Range closed!"

Klu pulled Link back into the shed. The other five looked at each other, then looked at the shed, leaning to the side to try and see inside. Klu was known for her short temper… But thankfully she didn't get that mad. She just snapped, 'You could've told us earlier!' and gave Link a left handed bow. She pushed him out and made him stand up at the line.

"Alright, it's open again!"

Ryell smacked his forehead. "She's crazy," he said.

Over the next, eh, half an hour, there were repeated _thwaks! _Ryell and Zelda were matched up, hitting the targets many times. Lineback was having trouble- he was more of a…oh, magic person. Link…Link mad Lineback look good.

"You're not doing it right," Klu said. She lifted Link's arm up a bit. She told him to put his left foot farther back and over to the side. "Try that."

"Okay…" Link pulled back on the string and let go. They all stopped to watch. It hit the target! Link grinned. "I hit it!"

"Good jo-" Ryell was cut off by something. Behind the farther target, the earth began to tremble. He cursed. "Great. Just great!"

Loror stepped back from the line. He pulled Nu with him.

"Lineback…" Link almost dropped his bow. He ran behind his friend, trembling. "What…is that?"

A shadow appeared where the ground was trembling. Two people dropped down from the sky, place something on the ground, and disappeared in thousands of small, purple flecks of dust. Whatever they did, they did well. Everyone fell over when a small earthquake hit.

Many people that were walking around the city looked onto the archery range. Some fled, others watched.

What seemed to be…a wolf, dragon, horse thing appeared out of the ground. Did we mention that it was also part Desert Snake? The ones that 'swim' in the sand. The look of it made Link shiver. He crawled out from under Lineback, again, and looked at it some more. The head of a wolf. But instead of fur there was scales. In fact, its whole body was like that. It had huge dragon wings and a long, snake like tail. When it looked around, it flicked a long, forked tongue.

"What in the world is that thing?" Link asked.

"N-no clue," Zelda breathed.

The wolf thing looked around. It's feral, yellow eyes flicked from left to right, then stopped when it found Link, Lineback, Ryell, and Zelda. It ran forward with amazing speed and used its huge lizard feet to grab all four of them. Then it flew into the air.

"Wahhh!" Link closed his eyes tight. He felt the warmth of the sun quickly cool and could no longer tell if they were still In the open.

He was dropped roughly on the ground. Ryell and Zelda groaned. Link opened his eyes. It looked as if they were back in that one room the others had been stuck in, but it wasn't. Only the four were in there. Wait. Where was Lineback?

"Guys…" Link sat up. He felt lightheaded. "Where are we…?"

"Well, and underground room," Ryell said.

"I kinda figured that out."

"You expect me to know?" Ryell asked. Zelda sighed.

_You want you friend back? _

Link jumped. Ryell glanced around. Zelda's eyes grew wide.

_You guysssss've got to come find me! Hmmm….ssssscrawny, yesss, but, eh, I'll eat him. Better hurry!_

"Is it that wolf thing…?" Link asked.

"Well, a deep growl like a wolf and he drags out his s's like a snake. What do you think?"

Link frowned. "Grumpy…" He ignored an insult from Ryell and stood up.

Ryell jumped up and stretched. "Dang, that freaking wolf hurt my back… Let's see if we can get through here, yes?"

He set them to check the doors. The place already had torches, so it was easy to see. But none of them could find a key to unlock any of the huge doors that were chained up. Only one didn't have a chain, and it took all three of them to get it open. Beyond was dark, only a faint light farther down. They walked through. Link went first, Ryell and Zelda next. The Princess was clinging to Ryell's arm, terrified of every sound, movement, everything.

"Has this always been here?" Link asked.

"Probably. Who else would be able to put chains? And I can feel spider webs everywhere. It's as if no one has been here in a really long time."

_Welcome, kidssss!_

Link shielded his eyes as a flash of light appeared then disappeared as quickly as it came. The room in front of them illuminated, making Link's mouth drop open. Along the walls were many targets. In the middle of the huge room were tons of flat boulders, almost making a path across the quicksand. At the other side of the room quite a bit away, there was a door. A simple door with a triangle on it.

"I think we go there!" Link exclaimed and pointed.

Ryell looked. "I think you're right," he said and looked around. "I can get across real fast, but…I'll stay with you."

"Let's go…" Link trailed off as a look of horror crossed Ryell's face. The blue-haired teen pulled up his mask. "Ryell…?"

"Long ago there was a prison…" Ryell muttered. Zelda raised an eyebrow. "It was in the middle of the desert and the one place where bad people went to be executed. But it was abandoned. The prison became covered with Redeads, Po Souls, and an angry sword that has long ago lost all its power and spirit. That prison…. I only know this from paintings… We're standing at the entrance to that prison."

Link and Zelda's eyes grew wide.

"We're standing at the entrance to the long forgotten Arbiter's Grounds!"

* * *

**_Shinzu_**: Bun bun bunnnnnnnn! ;D OMG I had a lot of fun with this chapter, even if it's a lot shorter than most other chapters. I had major writers block, and I seriously rewrote the beginning to this like, seven times. I have the plot-line and what not all figured out, it's just getting it into words... xD But I did it and now there's an update! The true reason about the cave in and why Klu, Nu, and Loror were stuck in the room will be revealed next chapter!


	10. Sand Minion: Kimira

He's heard of it. Link has heard of the Arbiter's Grounds. His sister had told him about it when he was little; the stories that he thought were fake, the stories about the people before him, but he was wrong. They were real. He wasn't sure how much of it was real, but he was going to believe every bit of it if things kept playing out this way.

"Let's go." Ryell jumped onto the first boulder and ran across, easily clearing the area. On the last one, he turned around. "Come on guys. It's not that hard. You won't fall. Let's get past this before we make any more plans."

Zelda and Link nodded. Together they jumped across the boulders. Whenever Zelda was about to slip, Link would grab her hand and pull her back up. The princess, though terrified and almost frozen in fear, managed to get across and to the last boulder. Ryell nodded. They jumped over to the ledge and turned around. Had they seriously jumped across all of those? There had to be more than ten. Link then noticed the patters on the floor.

There was a huge circle, but it was hard to see when it was mostly covered with sand. Where they were standing, there were crumbled pieces of the staircase. It was so destroyed that it would have been impossible to climb. Small stumps of what looked to be pillars stood, two on each side. Link got on his hands and knees and looked over to get a better view. Where the stairs had once been was a small little cave.

"Hey, I see something!" Link exclaimed. He jumped down before Ryell could stop him and held onto the ledge. He swung inside and landed in front of a small chest. "…What's a treasure chest doing here? It's covered with dust! I think there's like, four inches of dust and webs and all that gunk."

"Then clean it off." Ryell said. He and Zelda were now looking and into the cave. "I think this thing has been here since they built it. That's a really long time."

"Wow!" Link brushed off all the dust and grime. When he finished, a faded brown chest could finally be seen. He opened it. On the inside was…he didn't know what it was. "Can you come down here Ryell?" In no time at all, Ryell was down there. "What's this?" Link asked.

"I don't know…" Ryell pulled the unusually item out and looked at it. "It seems as if this were deliberately placed some time ago. It's…" He frowned. "No clue. It looks like a an arrow or something, but…it isn't." He handed it back to Link.

Zelda looked down then looked up. There was a gasp from her. Ryell and Link jumped and ran out as far as they could before the quicksand that broke through the brick prevented them from going any farther. They looked up. Something was heading straight for Zelda. Ryell attacked with his claw shot-like hand, but it went right through. Link took the item and threw it. It hit whatever it was, it looked like a human, on the head and it fell to the ground.

"You're kidding me," Link breathed. Ryell grabbed the item for him and handed it back. "I threw a thousand year old dagger-thing and all it does is stop ghosts? And there's only one!"

"You don't know what it is yet," Ryell snapped. He pulled himself up and helped Link get up there. "It may be completely useless for all we know."

"It kinda looks like a short spear," Zelda said. "Can I see it?" Link let Zelda take it. Though it had been in a chest, it had still, somehow, gotten very dusty, as if the chest had been opened for a while. "I know what it is! It's a Light Arrow! But it's broken."

"But it doesn't even look like an arrow!" Ryell and Link exclaimed.

"It's is," Zelda explained. "It's just broken at one end. I have a feeling that there's going to be a lot more of these. They may not glow like they should, but they still push away evil!"

_Oh great! Now the hero gets Light Arrows! I just _love _Light Arrows!_

Link and Zelda heard Time sigh.

_Shield doesn't like Light Arrows, _Time told them.

Link and Zelda looked at each other. "Shield?" they asked.

"Huh?" Ryell looked at Zelda.

"N-nothing!" Link exclaimed.

_Here's the shortened story, _Time said. _I gave them all nicknames and Ganondorf's name is now Shield because Wolfo, you'll see him later, uses him as a shield against Zelda's Light Arrows._

Both kids burst out laughing. Ryell gave them a funny look but headed over to the door.

Link followed. _I won't ask,_ he told them.

_It's better you didn't._

Oh! _Hey L- Time, do you know how that wolf thing appeared?_

_That wolf thing is actually a chimera. A weird one. But yes, I do. I was watching it come. It's much like what happened to Wolfo, another Link. This evil guy revived a monster named Stallord that had died in Arbiter's Grounds. But apparently this chimera-_

"Link, are you coming?" Ryell asked.

Link jumped. "Uh, yeah!" He followed Ryell into the next room. _Can you continue please?_

_Certainly. Apparently this chimera had lived here before, but when it ran out of food and couldn't find a way out, it died. When Zain came about an hour ago, the chimera was stirring. It had gone unconscious, not died. Zain just pulled it out of its coma and opened a way for it._

"That's just great!" Link exclaimed sarcastically.

Ryell and Zelda looked at him.

"Er…talking to uh…"

"Time," Ryell said. He nodded. How did he know? This guy was crazy, Link concluded. "So, now we're in some big circular room."

Link rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I figured that out," he said.

"I was just saying, because that room we were just in had a wall collapse from the weight of the sand above it. That was also a circular room. Ever hear about the Poes?"

Link and Zelda nodded.

"That was the room that the Poe souls opened. It unlocked this room. It held the Death Sword. This was originally the halfway point, from what the stories tell. But now the Poes are gone and there are boulders blocking all other paths."

Link blinked in surprise. "This was where that giant sword was held?" he asked. Ryell nodded.

"Correct," he said. "Let's check around here for anymore chests and then keep going. That's pretty much the only other path." Ryell pointed towards the door on the other end of the room.

Link shivered. He didn't want to know how any living creature could call this place home.

"Can we sit down and think?" Link asked. "I'm getting a headache."

Zelda gulped. "I don't think you're getting a headache…" she said. Link and Ryell looked in the direction she was looking. Something was walking into the room and the door had no been shut. Its skull was almost upside down, its bones bent and broken in odd places. In one hand it was dragging a huge sword, one that was bigger than Link himself.

It was groaning. The familiar, terrifying groan. A screech.

_Link! _Time exclaimed. _Link, don't black out! No!_

Ryell and Zelda fell to their knees, hands covering their ears. There wasn't just _one _Redead. There were _five_. And these ones were huge, like, ten feet tall and their screeches were a lot more powerful than the scary, small ones from before. Link couldn't handle it anymore. His eyes closed and he fell forward. The last thing he heard was Time and his friends telling him to stay awake.

* * *

"Why!" Lineback V exclaimed and shook the barks of his cage. "Why does my family always get thrown in cages!"

His father, his grandfather, and others before them had all passed down their stories about being thrown in a cage. It didn't matter who they were with; the King of Hyrule City, in a securely protected place, or deep in the ocean with something from the Zoras. No matter what they did, some way, some how, they'd always gotten thrown in a cage.

"Sssilence!" the chimera snapped. He pushed the cage over with his long, strong tail and watched as it rolled over a few times, knocking the wind out of his prey. "You do not talk! Zain hasss given me a fine meal." He growled. That growl turned into a laugh.

Lineback cursed. "You stupid dog!" he exclaimed.

"Do I look like a dog to you!" the chimera growled. He put his huge face close to the bars of the cage.

Lineback had to agree that this thing actually didn't look like a dog. With scales for fur, wings, bird claws, and a snake tail, no one even knew what it was anymore. Certainly didn't look like a dog. Or a bird. Or a dragon. Or a wolf. It was a something, and that something was a chimera, freaky scary. Oh. He was talking to himself again.

"When can I go?" Lineback asked.

"After I eat you."

"Won't I be dead."

"I don't know."

"Are you stupid?"

"I don't know."

Lineback laughed quietly. This could be fun, being stuck with a really stupid chimera that looked strong and scary, but was actually pretty dang dumb. Maybe, just maybe, he could stall until he found a way out of here. He heard that Chimera, that's what he'll call it, was going to give the others a chance to get in there. Half of this place was destroyed, but it was so huge, being a former prison, that it could still take days.

"Hey Mr. Chimera…wanna play a game…? It's called 20 Questions…"

* * *

Link groaned. He opened his eyes, but the light in the room made him close them again. It was very bright for a dungeon with no windows. Every wall seemed to have at least ten torches, and there were a lot of walls.

Something by him moved. The kid jumped up and unsheathed his sword, knocking something away. He didn't know what it was. He could feel it but couldn't see it. A tiny squeak, then a scream, and then a puff of…purple stuff, kind of like Twilight. Link sat back down, feeling very light headed. He didn't know where he was, and he had, _once again_, lost his friends. They weren't in the room. He knew that because they'd either be bickering, talking, or…bickering.

"Man, why did I just ask to be lead to that island?" Link asked and looked up, as if wishing the Goddesses he'd heard so much about would help him or do something. "This is horrible! All I want is Kay back!" He fell backwards and sat down, pouting. "And now I'm stuck in the middle of a prison!"

He pushed something away from him. It must've been what attacked him earlier. Then something laughed. It was an odd laugh, like a little imp.

"I know where we can find your friends."

Link saw a shadow. Then it disappeared and reappeared above him.

"It's quite easy!"

It disappeared again.

"Just follow the sounds of the moaning!"

He reappeared in front of Link's face.

"It's as easy as 1-2-3!" It snapped its small fingers.

Wait. It _was _an imp!

"W-who are you?" Link asked and backed up.

The imp thing became surrounded in shadows. When the shadows melted away it revealed a young boy. He had messy, orange hair with green streaks and pale blue skin. He wore a cloak that didn't have sleeves and black gloves. The boy had a huge smile and large black and red patches of skin all over. Blue lines ran everywhere.

"I am Piyori, at your service!"

"WTF?"

Piyori burst out laughing. He pulled Link to his feet and brushed dirt off his back. "You're a mess," he said. "Then again, the Twili hate dirt…" Piyori shook his head. "Well, I am from the Twilight Realm. I can turn into an imp at will and travel between worlds."

"How's that gonna help me?"

"It will help you because I can teleport! And after a thousand years of perfecting it, we can now warp anywhere without the help of a portal."

Link frowned and scratched the side of his head. "I think I'm going crazy," he said softly. "First I willingly leave my home to search for Ka, then I get trapped here, and now I'm talking to a crazy imp." He laughed. "Wait, add talking to myself to the list."

Silence.

Piyori raised an eyebrow. "You know, most people I meet are a lot more sane than you," he said blankly.

"Hey! You don't seem very sane yourself! And I'm not insane, I'm just south of sane."

"He's insane." Piyori twirled on one foot and shadows surrounded him again. He had black and red splotches everywhere on his white body and huge yellow eyes that, just like in human form, had no pupil. With a wave of his hand, he floated forward and landed on Link's head. "I'm sure you'll get a bit of déjà vu, but trust me, my ancestors have helped the Heroes for more years than I can count."

Link tried shaking the kid off. In fact, he did get a bit of déjà vu with this kid around. It scared him, made him feel uneasy, and he didn't need this right now. All he needed was to get out of here. Then it really smacked him in the face. One of his best friends was trapped with a giant chimera. His eyes grew wide and he ran to the nearest door, not bothering to remember that there was a freak on his head.

"I've gotta find everyone!" he exclaimed as he sheathed his sword and ran towards the nearest door. There was a huge statue in this room, one with a woman sitting and what looked like a snake curling around her body. This had to be the heart of the dungeon. Now he needed to find a map-

"Oh! Would this help you?" Piyori snapped his fingers. When the door opened and Link stepped through, something hovered in the air. It was boxes connected by lines and what looked to be a map. Link's mouth fell open.

"You read my mind or something?" Link asked.

"No, but I know this temple well enough to know that you are definitely going the wrong way. Take a good look at it."

Link stared at it. Now he was so confused that he would just listen to Piyori. He turned and headed back to the room with the statue and walked into a different room opposite of the one he was just in. The map had disappeared.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Link asked with a slight whine in his voice.

"Yes, I'm positive," Piyori said. "I've only been trapped here for a really long time. I heard some kid named Zain and my….great, great, great, great…lots more greats, great aunt Rhea and some Zora named Klondi talk about their next plans about six months ago. They said that they were going to revive some monster thing. And to do that, the seals had to be broken."

Link skidded to a halt. "You don't mean…"

Piyori nodded. "Yes," he said. "Those small crystals you got were the seals. Zain used certain…magic to make pitfalls everywhere. Those poor kids." He shook his head. Apparently he wasn't as young as Link thought! "Zain was hoping that Kandor would mention three missing kids and that you'd go rescue them, but it didn't happen. It happened a different way, but what's done is done."

"It's my…?"

"What? No, no! It's not your fault," Piyori said. "The seal was already a third of the way broken, so even if you hadn't of come, Zain could've still revived or woken Kimira. It would've taken longer, but like I said earlier, what's done is done. Shall we go find your friends?"

Link nodded.

So they set off on a terrible, long, perilous- wait, what the hell am I talking about! This whole fan fiction is a long, terrible, perilous journey! Umm….-

Link went left, he went right, he turned this spinney thing that opened doors and closed doors. Piyori was no help like he said he would be. Whenever Link asked for help, Piyori would just show him the map. If anything was irritating to him at the moment, nothing irritated him more than the freaking imp. At first it was cool, but it started getting tedious.

"Okay, seriously, you've gotta help me or something," Link complained. "It's so hard trying to get through here!"

Piyori sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll help you a bit," he said. He changed into a human and began pushing the spinney thing in the middle of the room. A door appeared and they went through.

He lead Link through many halls. Link picked up many small things along the way; they were tiny, golden rods. He thought that they looked similar to the Light Arrows, so he picked them up. With the amount he picked up along the way, it seemed as if a huge battle had been fought here. Not only were there tiny, golden rods, but there were simple, dusty pieces of normal arrows, sword slashes on the walls, and what looked to be claw marks all over the ceiling. This was the only room that was filled with these marks though.

It was huge. There were finally dead Redead remains strewn across the floor.

Link suddenly jumped. He heard a cough, but Piyori hadn't heard it.

_What the hell is Zain? Is he related to Zant and I don't know it?_

That voice…was completely different from the other voices he had be hearing for the past few weeks.

_Fish… _Time!

_I told you not to freaking call me that!_

_I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be for now. From what I can tell, these guys have horrible memories and three people with the same name will be…hard…to…._

_Yeah. You just now realized that your clone is listening?_

_He's not my clone!_

Link freaked. _T-T…Time?_

_Yes Link?_

_Who's talking?_

_That, my dear friend, would be a man called Fish._

_Link!_

_Call me Time!_

Link's head began to pound. "Guys…I'm getting a huge headache…" He groaned and put his hands on his temples.

Piyori, who had no clue what was going on, dragged him through the halls once more. He kicked away some wooden planks and walked into the small room that shouldn't even be called a room. There was a large tub filled with a lot of water. It looked fresh enough, clear and sparkly.

"Whoever left this was very skilled in magic," Piyori said. He snapped his fingers and a pile of sand nearby changed into a simple, plastic cup. "You look like you have a headache. You're not drinking enough."

Link gave him a "WTF?" look but took the cup anyway. He almost spit out his water.

_I'm sorry, Link. I should introduce you to everyone first, yes? You just me- heard Fish. He was the evil guy during Wolfo, another Link's time. Wolfo is actually here right now. _

_Woof! _There was some coughing, as if someone were clearing their throat. _Er, sorry 'bout that. I'm Wolfo._

_And the third Link we have with us is called Pirate. _

_Hi there!_

Link drank his water, trying to act inconspicuous as Piyori glanced at him.

Tim continued. _Ganondorf is now called Shield due to a very humorous chain of events. The Ganon from Wolfo's time is Fish, as you have already heard. Pirate's bad guy is named Puppet because…well, it's another chain of events._

_Are there three pairs of you with the same names?_

_Why, yes_ It was a girl. _I'm Zelda, the one who's been talking to you. Call me Wisdom. I say this because of what you said earlier. Us nine are here to help the three chosen….do something._

_Why won't you tell me what it is?_

_Because you must figure that out on your own._

_Fighting Zain, right?_

Silence.

Link sighed as he took another drink of water.

_Wolfo's Zelda is called Navi. She's the one you need to watch out for on this journey. The way she can help you is by firing Light Arrows. That's all I'll tell you. Pirate's Zelda is called Tetra._

Tetra!

"I've heard that name before!"

Piyori raised an eyebrow. "This temple's got you going nuts," he said.

"S-sorry!" Link squeaked.

_Tetra was a pirate once._

_That's it. Alright. Thanks for telling me. I think I should go before Piyori snaps at me…_

_I feel as if we can trust him, _Time said. _Stick with him._

Link slightly nodded and handed the cup to Piyori. He took it and it turned back into sand.

"Alchemy's most important rule," Piyori said and looked at Link. "To obtain something, something of equal value must be lost."

He changed into an imp and told Link to head to the room they were just at. Surprisingly, Link remembered the way. He kept in mind that if Time trusted Piyori, then he could, too. And he was right. The room illuminated when they stepped in.

"What-?"

"I could tell that Kimira was coming. We had to get out of here before he got here." Piyori floated off of Link's head and into the middle of the room. He twirled a few times and a wave of shadow dug into the ground. It began to shake. The quicksand began to form a whirlpool of quicksand where the shadows hit. "I'd step back if I were y-"

The loudest howl anyone could've ever heard in their life erupted from somewhere. The sand moved away, all of it making a perfectly smooth wall along the wall. Below, a huge pillar sat, one with many spiraling lines. It was a few feet above ground, but it had to be at least a hundred feet below, which meant it had to be at least a hundred feet tall from what he could see. Kimira the chimera stood there, growling. Quicker than an arrow, Kimira flew up and began trying to get link in its jaws. Tied to its foot was a cage. A cage where Lineback was in, being thrown against the bars like crazy.

Link jumped backwards, hoping to get back to the exit, but the sand shifted and created a wall there.

_**Sand Minion: Kimira**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Shinzu**_: ;3; Oh my God. This has to be the fasted I've ever gotten a chapter up. But, the reason is because I've had a sudden...well, I'm suddenly re-obsessed with Twilight Princess, and with all this newly found inspiration, I got this whole thing typed up in just a few days.I'm very proud of it because I've had to do his dungeon by memory. Of course, I've looked at a map, but I made it easier on myself by making the room were Death Sword used to lurk the room that is on the other side of the door that the Poes unlock. P: I also made the room where the Poes lantern light returned to a circular room with many, many doors blocked by boulders. The walls were destroyed and quicksand had like, devoured the floor.

And, you guys'll really enjoy this; Piyori is the last major new character. =] Trust me. I've made about as many characters as I could right now. P: So, read, enjoy, review (reviews motivate me, SADLY. -_-' )!


	11. Won or Lost?

Link got into the basic fighting stance and unsheathed his sword. Piyori was floating in the middle of the arena, right where he had been when Kimira started attacking. Roll! Link remembered his teacher exclaiming that during training. It seemed to work fine then, so he tried it now. And it did work! He rolled out of the way and Kimira rammed into the wall, the cage on his foot smashing against his leg. But it didn't stall him. In not time flat, he was up again, charging towards Link. Where was a bow when he needed it?

"Piyori!" Link exclaimed as he jumped up from his kneeling position. He ran around the room, one that Wolfo, his ancestor, would know very well.

_Sorry Link,_ Wolfo said. _I've only fought Stallord here. Same room and all, but different monsters. And when I was here, I got dizzier than you could ever imagine. Looks like there isn't very much spinning in this fight._

The boy nodded to himself. That was okay. He'd have to try and figure that out himself. Puzzles like this were his specialty. And while he was thinking, he remembered something about having to hit something with scales on their underside. Apparently the scales are much, much softer there- anything with scales was like that.

"Piyori, are yo-"

"Uh? Oh, yes!"

Piyori floated over to Link and landed on his head. He directed Link to run to the other side of the room and give him the pieces of light arrow.

"There's been something passed down in my family for many generations," Piyori explained as they dodged Kimira's attacks. As he took the pieces of arrow in his small hands, they began to glow. It was then that Link realized that they were all pieces to the same arrows; two to be exact. When Piyori placed them side by side, frantically, they moved together and forged into one arrow. Then the other pieces did that. "A long time ago, a princess, or queen, named Zelda gave this to us, hoping that one day we would be able to help any hero who might need help. The pieces of arrow are from almost 500 years ago, when a huge battle took place here. It wasn't as abandoned as you thought, because a man named Tint, a hero in your lineage, also fought something here. If these weren't here now…"

He nodded. Then he handed the arrow to Link and snapped his fingers. A shadow fell from nowhere, stopping in front of Link. Link held his hands out and the shadows melted away to form a bow. It was crazy with intricate designs. It also looked a thousand years old.

"And would you look at that?" Piyori asked. He raised his eyebrow and grinned an, well, impish grin. "You still have all your archery stuff on. This'll work like a charm. I won't help you any farther." Then he disappeared into the shadows.

Link's jaw dropped open. "You're not helping m- AAHH!" He jumped forward in time to miss a huge scaly tail beat down where he had just stood. His eyes grew wide as he ran around the room again, bow in hand. It was a left handed bow, sword in sheath, so it was easier for him to carry. But if only that helped him in this fight!

A roll. A sword slash. A smack from a powerful tail to the back of the head.

Link stumbled forward. He didn't have the energy for this, but hope began to energize him as he saw what was happening. Kimira was dropping down from up top, hoping to flatten Link. Said boy lifted his once again unsheathed sword straight into the air, digging it into Kimira's stomach. It howled and flapped its huge wings hard, flying into the air. Link flinched when blood dripped down onto his head.

The wall fell. There was no time to get Lineback. He ran out of the room, no longer wishing to find his friends. Although he wanted to, Kimira was majorly standing in his way. And wait, what was that? Was it a fairy? Yes, it was! It flew around Kimira, healing the jab in its stomach as if it were nothing. Then the wall flew up again just as Link made it out…

* * *

"My lunch…got away!"

Lineback braced himself for more bruises. Kimira began pacing around the room, forgetting all about the extra weight on his foot. If the cage were round, it would've been much better. But no. His family's curse had been given to him and no good luck ever happened to him in these situations.

"That…food…need…"

Kimira howled. It began attacking everything in site, blind to everything but what it was attacking. It was when the cage hit his foot again that he stopped, looking at the kid inside for the first time since he started fighting. It was the freak's idea to put Lineback into the cage, like a hostage. But…something had stopped that plan.

"YOU!"

Lineback 'eeped!' and flinched. A bubble appeared around him. Kimira smashed into it, a failed pounce. Again. Ever since failure in the 20 Questions game, he had been trying to get Lineback, but it was to stupid to let him out of the cage. Well, it wanted him, and knew to keep him in there, but, whatever.

"Stupid magic….!" Kimira growled, then howled once more. It snapped the chain and began pacing, obviously troubled by the fact that a simple kid could know so much defensive magic. Many years ago, it was only certain people who knew magic, a very powerful energy. But not it seemed as if- "Every. Single. Person. Knows. Magic!" With every word, there was a loud crashing sound. Pots were being thrown to the floor. Sand covered it as the grains fell back into place. The large circular area was being refilled once more.

"M-M-Mister Kimira," Lineback said. He stopped the magic so it wouldn't run out and came up to the bars of the cage. "Can I know what you did to Ryell and Zelda?"

Kimira brought his face close to the cage, eyes narrowed. "And why would that be?" He flicked his blue, forked tongue.

"I-I'm just…wondering." Lineback shrugged. "I mean, they're my friends and, wouldn't you b-be worried about your friends?"

The freak growled. He shook his huge, monstrous head and stood back up to his full height of well over 15 feet. "Friends are a nuisance," he growled.

"But….it would be easier on you," Lineback argued. "I could go and find them and be completely out of your way."

"You'd run away."

Okay, that part was true. Lineback's strategy wasn't working.

"What if I worked for you?"

"No one works for me!" Kimira snarled. "I have my zombies! I have my souls! What else do I need? They're mindless, stupid! I can control them at will, and they do exactly as I say! I do not need a stupid Hyrulian with a mouthful of failing persuasive techniques!"

Lineback cursed. _What the crap! _he thought. _This thing…it's just pretending to be dumb! _He sighed. This was it. He was going to be eaten alive. He'd overheard Kimira muttering in his sleep. Something about killing him by first pulling his head off or some limb that would make it painful… He shivered.

"The Sage of Sands has given me full power over this temple," Kimira suddenly said. A huge, wolfish grin appeared on his face. "I can do whatever I want…" Seemed to Lineback as if Kimira just realized that. "Fairies…healing….food…" It laid down, placing his huge bird-like-claws over his eyes, seemingly trying to block out everything around him. "Power…kill…" Something appeared on its forehead. Three triangles…"No…freaking…WAY!" Lineback smashed his head against the bars. A bruise began to appear. "Farore, are you trying to kill me?"

A soft breeze blew through his dreadful, forsaken place. What did that mean…?

The triangles on the chimera's forehead began to brighten. What in the world was giving him power? It must be the Sage of Sands, a Sage hardly ever heard about, but that mark meant that… It meant that it was also getting its power from a piece of the Triforce. It didn't give him full power like the Triforce would, but it gave him much. And when the top triangle began to glow brighter than any of the others, all of Lineback's worst fears came to play.

The Triforce holder was either Zain or Tunik. It wasn't Link or Zelda. Ryell had told him that Farore, Nayru, Link, and Zelda- the dead ones- had chosen Link and Zelda- the living- to hold the Triforce. They had to choose between two people, because their descendants at the time had either an older brother or sister, or in this case, an almost-identical twin. And with their horrible, horrible family past…

He cursed again.

"Get…Link….Zelda…Bring…" Kimira kept muttering random words. "Zain…must….food… Link…Zelda…power…"

Lineback began trembling. Kimira was really starting to scare him. That muttering. With every word, the hate, regret, and anger rolled off his tongue, freaking Lineback out more than anything else ever had. He grabbed onto the bars of the cage, afraid that if he didn't, he'd be eaten alive.

"Mr. Kimira…?" Lineback asked. "Wha-"

"SILENCE!" Kimira snarled. It jumped up, ears flattened against its gray, scaly scales. "Quiet! Do not TALK!" He began pacing, flicking his tail back and forth, growling. "Link must be somewhere. I must get to them…"

Lineback shrank backwards a bit when Kimira walked over to him. After fumbling with the chain a bit, it was once again tied to the large bird-like-foot. And, once again, Lineback was on his way to a bruising feast.

"WAIT!" Lineback exclaimed. Kimira stopped walking. "Can we pleas-"

"NO!"

* * *

Link kept running. He ran until he couldn't run any more. He took a break and continue running, trying to get as far away from that place as possible. Piyori had disappeared. But he now had a new companion for the moment. Wolfo was running next to him, easily keeping up. With a quiver full of regular arrows that Link had found in a chest, they easily teamed up and took out many Skulls, Bolbokins, and creepy hands that hung out on the wall that none of them wanted to go near. This place was creepy enough as it is!

"Go!" Link exclaimed.

Wolfo ran forward and jumped up, grabbing a Bolbokin by the shoulders. He bit it many times and jumped backwards, watching as the monster fell, but was not dead. It did die, though, when Link shot an arrow at its face. There was a burst of magic and it disappeared.

"Link, you should sit down," Wolfo said as he changed back into a human. He walked over and put a hand on Link's shoulder. "You're on the complete other side of the dungeon now, and I don't think Kimira will chase after you at the moment. The sand he controls doesn't disappear until he's calm, and the sand is blocking the entrances out of that room."

"But…"

"I'm sure Ryell and Zelda are fine," Wolfo said. He began to walk away. "Ryell's strong, and Zelda knows what's right and wrong. Take a break. I'll back right back."

Link watched him leave. With a sigh, he sat down against the wall and leaned his head back. _I just need to get out of here…._

_Okay, if Wolfo could've made it through a freaking prison, you can. _

Link heard Fish sigh.

Whatever. Link put his hands to his head and brought his knees to his chest. He had a pounding headache. The room felt like it was closing in. He remembered that however many hours ago it had been, Time had told him not to black out. Link was afraid he was going to black out again, what with the headache, worry, and now claustrophobia.

"S-stay awake, Link," he told himself. "Don't black out…don't black out…"

He finally figured out this feeling. Did this place make people go insane? That's what he was starting to believe. Because of all this craziness… Agh! He didn't know what to even do now! So he just sat there, doing what Wolfo had told him to do. It seemed like forever, so he went from sitting to lying down, not bothering to take into notice how dirty the floor was.

A faintly glowing light… He was going insane.

But that feeling was slowly disappearing. The walls around him seemed to grow farther apart. Where was that light coming from?

Link sat up and brought his hand to his sword, then realized something. He held out his left hand and there, glowing, was a symbol. Three triangles. Must be the gloves, he though, so he shrugged it off. But the mark didn't disappear. The best thing he could think of was taking the glove off. But the mark was still glowing on his skin. What the heck?

The right triangle glowed a bit brighter than the other two.

"…What…?"

Link stood up, feeling perfectly fine. He rubbed his eyes and headed down the hall, forgetting all about Wolfo and his command for him to stay there. Something was down that hall, because the closer he got, the brighter the symbol glowed. What could possibly be down there?

"…I don't wanna be here."

"We'll get out, I swear."

There was a sound of metal hitting metal. Someone cursed.

Link turned the corner and saw that he was back at the very beginning where the door with the triangles was. Sitting by it were two cages, and inside, Ryell and Zelda.

"Guys!" Link exclaimed.

"Link!" Zelda cried. "You shouldn't be here!"

"Go!" Ryell snapped and waved his hand to the side. Link raised an eyebrow. "This is a trap! Get out of here now!"

A loud howl. Metal hitting rock.

"Aaahhhh!"

Link heard the scream. He jumped backwards. Zelda shrank back against the bars behind her.

Kimira came running into the hall, the cage behind him bouncing against the walls and ground. The glowing black mark on his forehead, exactly like that one on Link's hand, flashed yellow.

"Finally!" he exclaimed. Kimira crouched low and stalked towards Link, finally having cornered him. "Master…" He stopped. "Kill….You…LINK!" It lunged forward.

Link shrank backwards and threw up his shield. It stopped Kimira. The monster skidded backwards, growling furiously. It came back again. Instead of going for the shield, it jumped up, used its claws to knock the shield away from Link, and came down ontop of him, paws on either side. Link was staring up, eyes the biggest anyone had ever seen.

"Hehe…go for the softest parts!"

Softest…who was tha- Piyori! He hadn't abandoned Link after all!

Link held up his sword defiantly. "You won't take me!" he exclaimed. His sword hit Kimira in the nose as it came down, teeth bared. But he seemed to ignore the pain. More blood dripped down onto Link's head.

"Hey, you big, freaky, freak!" Lineback exclaimed.

Kimira turned his head for just a moment. But it was enough time for Link to jump up and run backwards. When Kimira looked back, his prey was gone. He howled and spun around. The cage smashed into the wall. Link hesitated a moment, but pulled his bow from the strap on his back and nocked an arrow. He shot it up. Kimira used his defenses and flew into the air even though the room was quite low. That was a mistake on his part. Quick as light, Link pulled one of the two Light Arrows from his quiver and shot it at Kimira's soft underbelly.

"Go Link!" Zelda exclaimed and grabbed the bars.

Everyone gasped when Kimira made it through the attack. He flew to the ground, purple liquid dripping from the wound that was once again right where his stomach was. Kimira crouched down, eyes closed, growling in pain. Link didn't lower his guard. Kimira lunged forward, pinning Link to the ground before the boy could even flinch. Warm, purple blood stained Link's tunic.

"My clothes…" Link squeaked.

"FIGHT HIM!" Ryell shook the bars of his cage, desperately trying to get out. "Don't let him bite you! Don't let him hurt you!"

But already Link was feeling the huge claws dig into his shoulders. He wriggled, but that just made it worse. Lineback couldn't help now. He had been knocked out. And with everyone else in a cage and Piyori gone, it was a full one on one battle.

"Let me go!" Link exclaimed. "Let me go let me go let me go!"

_Have the courage to face him! Don't' back down. Show. No. Fear._

How the _hell _was he going to be able to not show fear when a scaly wolf was staring him down!

"Leave me alone!"

Kimira lowered his head so his huge, cut nose was a few inches from Link's face. He shut his mouth tight so blood wouldn't get in, and braced for what was to come.

"Master….Zain…." Kimira took a deep breath. "Master Zain would give me food for years if I brought you to him!" He grabbed Link by the front of his tunic and threw him into the air. The chimera's wounds seemed to be really slowing him down, because when he lifted to stand on his hind legs, we was very wobbly.

Link landed on Kimira's head, his head right between his eyes. Kimira shook his head wildly, flapping his wings to keep him on his hind feet. He howled and howled, every sound suddenly being echoed.

_Let this be over fast, _Link thought hopefully. If he was going to die then…

_If you think you are going to die, you will not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel._

Was that Time?

Link pounced his head against the hard scales and pulled himself up. He jumped away from Kimira and rolled to a stop as Mr. Monster-Face fell back onto all fours.

If he could just get Ryell free. He wasn't trying to be mean to Zelda, but he knew that Ryell had one nasty temper, and this often times lead to that. What to do, what to do.

He got it!

Link grabbed his bow off the ground and strapped it back onto his back as he ran for the cages. Kimira was coming out of a daze and spun around. With a growl, he attack the spot where Link was. And that spot just so happened to be right in front of Ryell's cage. Link rolled away. When he stopped on his back a few feet away, he could feel intense pain in his shoulders.

Something snapped. Link looked over his shoulder. One of the bars had snapped in half. Kimira had landed on it, and all that weight was starting to really do some damage on the metal.

"Karma's a jerk, ain't it?" Link asked smartly as he stood up.

_Now, now, _Time chastised. _Don't start getting cocky._

_Sorry_.

Link grinned when Ryell was finally, finally freed.

"Freedom!" Ryell exclaimed. He kicked the now weakened bars and both halves of both bars snapped away. Kimira finally came to his senses just as his prisoner escaped.

"THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN!"

"Sorry," Ryell said as he backed up. "But, as you know, _bad guys never win!_" He cocked his metal hand back then threw it forward. Chains appeared as the claw-shot like hand got farther and farther away until it hit the monster's ear.

Link was amazed. Hope, he told himself. Always hope.

"Let's kill this thing," Ryell said. He pulled down hard and the wolf-thing went down. With the wounds and his now lost sense of balance, he was an easy target for a few moments. "I'll flip it over. You attack."

He stepped to the side and Kimira followed. After a few palms from his metal hand, Kimira had no choice but to roll over. But…

"ANOTHER GOD DAMNED FAIRY!" Ryell and Link exclaimed (Link just didn't add the curses).

Kimira rolled back onto his hands and knees. He stepped on something and almost slipped, but he easily regained his balance and stalked over.

A howl.

"Kimira, you die here and now!"

Wolfo jumped into battle, fading from solid to semi-transparent quite often. He ran and jumped onto of Zelda's cage, leaped over the broken one, and landed on Kimira's back. In a flash, Wolfo started biting everything in sight. The strong, powerful muscles needed for flying; the ears for hearing; the tail. Then he jumped down, grabbed something in his mouth, and ran over to Link. He dropped a light arrow at his feet.

"Light Arrows! Now!"

Link pulled his bow and grabbed the arrow even though he already had one in his quiver. Wolfo ran off and jumped back onto Kimira's back. The beast was howling in pain and shaking, trying to get Wolfo off of him. It was perfect. When Kimira rolled onto his back as if trying to scratch an itch, like most typical dogs, Link aimed the arrow and shot it. With a sickening sound, the arrow was completely embedded in Kimira's stomach.

Kimira stopped struggling instantly. Link didn't hesitate to shoot a normal arrow. Ryell attacked. Then, when Kimira was howling his loudest howl, Link shot the other Light Arrow.

"Zain….will…." Kimira pulled himself up, resisting the affects of the glowing arrows. "Zain with get you! You will _never _be free!" He snarled and jumped forward, but just before he touched the ground, he exploded in a depressing array of magic.

Wolfo dropped to the ground. He panted, then a slight breeze blew by. Link's ancestor disappeared.

He felt light headed again. In the heat of the battle, Link didn't realize how much the deep cuts in his shoulders were bleeding. And not only that, but there was a huge bump on the back of his head.

"I'm go…I'm going to…" Link stumbed backwards. Ryell helped him regain his balance, but the boy now felt sleepy. "I'm going to fall….asl-"

"No Link," Ryell pleaded. "Stay awake." He sat Link down on the ground and broke a pot from nearby. He grabbed the small, red heart that came out and crushed it above Link's head, sending red dust down. It dissolved when it hit the kid, but it did little to help, but Link didn't feel as sleepy anymore. "The end of this temple…it's right under the palace. Can you walk?"

"I don't know," Link breathed.

_I believe you can_, Time said. _Suffer a bit more and relief will come at the end. Just a bit longer._

Link stood up, his face suddenly loosing all color.

"Link?" Zelda looked up.

"I'll make it," Link said with a grin. "Let's…get these things open."

He dropped to his knees in front of Zelda's cage. One of the things that also fell with the arrows were three keys. One of them obviously wouldn't work, because one of the cages was broken.

After a few minutes of work, Link was slow, drowse, and exhausted, Zelda's cage was finally open. He helped her out and they headed to Lineback's cage. Ryell took the keys and found the right one. Lineback looked as if he wouldn't wake up for days.

"Alright, let's get out of here," Ryell said with a nod. He pulled Lineback out and found an easy carrying position.

Link and Zelda followed him down the halls, glad that they no longer had to face Kimira, the freaky chimera that no one ever wanted to go near ever again.

* * *

_**Shinzu: **_Are you freaking kidding me! I thought I was doing good until I realized that the lines I put after certain scenes...DON'T APPEAR ON HERE. -_-' Haha, if Foxpilot hadn't've suggested about adding lines... I don't know if I would've seen that. Well, off to go fix the past chapters!

In other news-

-This was originally going to be much, much longer, but I thought it was good to stop it there. After all, I'm getting tired, and I've spent a long enough time on this chapter (in my standards).  
-Almost done with Gerudo Desert! :D I can't wait for Zora Mountain. Nothing against Gerudo Desert (seeing as I LIVE in a desert), but I'm really fascinated with Zoras right now. So many races, not enough chapters!  
-You guys remember Valoo and the attack of the Twilight on him? Well, I've finally figured out why the Twilight attacked up. P: Took me, what, 7 chapters? 8? xD I won't tell you, you'll figure out soon enough, but, yush!  
-o3o Hope you enjoyed! Read, enjoy, and review!


	12. The Beginning of the End

_**Shinzu**_: :D This took a while. But, we're finally getting to the last parts of the Gerudo Desert Arc-thing. And don't take the title of this chapter wrong. 'The Beginning of the End' is only reference to the last battle before they have to head off. So.

This is at the beginning because I felt that you should know this at the beginning instead of the end. -Nod nod-

* * *

"He's waking up!"

"Well, don't wake him up!"

"Out! Now!"

Link groaned. All he remembered was passing out in the basement… Where was he? Slowly he opened his eyes. He shut them again until they adjusted to the light and then opened them once more. He was in a room, most likely in the palace. Okay, so he made it.

Someone walked over to him and lifted up his arm. The woman pressed a finger to his wrist and then let it fall back onto the bed.

"How…long was I out?" Link asked.

"You disappeared for about three days," the woman said to him as she walked over to the other side of the room. "And you've been unconscious for about, eh, 3 days."

"Oh my gods…" Link looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. "We've been gone for a while…huh? Where's everyone else?"

"Your other two buddies are…somewhere. I think their playing with Brandor and Narua." The woman looked at Link. He was sitting up and getting out of bed. "No, you stay here for the rest of the day. There's only a few hours until sunset. You can see your friends later."

Link sighed. He felt much better than he did days ago, thankfully. But he lied back down and closed his eyes. What he heard was an incredibly loud screech. When he opened his eyes, he saw sky all around him. He was standing on soft grass. It was pouring rain.

This island… Link knew this island! It was a large plateau that could be seen from his island. There were always clouds around it. Lighting always hit the area, or there was a snow storm. Every day the weather was different here. But…could this place be the place where Zelda was talking about all those weeks ago? Oh, what was it's name? Triforce…Plateau!

Something farther away made another screech. But before Link could run over there, there was a flash. It felt as if he had just closed his eyes when he was back in his bed the next morning.

Now it was morning. Link sat up and stretched. His muscles felt sore, and then he remembered why. Kimira, the now long-gone chimera, had attacked him with his huge claws, getting him in the shoulder. Link shivered at the memory. He, they, had beaten him and that's all that mattered. They were all safe.

"You're awake again," the woman from last night said. She walked over and placed a pile of clothes at the end of Link's bed. "Your other clothes were pretty much destroyed beyond repair, so we had a tailor make some new ones for you. Change and then you can go." The woman walked off and disappeared through a door.

Raising an eyebrow, Link looked at the clothes he was wearing now. A simple white tunic and pants. He jumped out of bed and looked at the new ones. They looked pretty much the same, except his new pants were baggy and had a triangle patter at the bottom. After every three triangles there was a small picture of what seemed to be a chimera… Link smiled.

"These are so cool," he said and pulled off his tunic. He put the thick green shirt on, then the darker, thinner, green, sleeveless tunic. A new belt had been given to him, too, so he put that on after pulling on the pants. The ends of the legs covered his high boots- his original ones- and were almost touching the floor. But, something bothered him. What was on his shoulders?

He pulled back the collar and saw many stitches in his shoulders. The boy shivered. That was a scary thought, seeing as he hated blood and anything cutting his skin.

Something caught his eye. His mouth fell open. Lineback was still asleep! Link ran over to his friend's bed. There were bandages everywhere from many cuts. Tons of bruises covered his arms. He sighed and really hoped that Lineback would get better.

"Link, I forgot something."

A shiver ran down Link's back as his eyes grew wide. He turned. It was only the doctor.

"Yes?" Link asked and looked up at her.

"You're going to have to stay here for about 4 more days," the woman said. She ran a hand through her long red hair. "Wounds with stitches take a while to heal, and you'll pretty much have to stay until your friend wakes up."

"How long will that be?" Link asked nervously.

"It could be a few seconds to a few months." The doctor sighed.

"But…"

The doctor jabbed Link in the arm and turned him around, careful to avoid his shoulders. "You just go out and show your other friends that you're okay," she said and pushed him towards the door. "No sword play, either! Or, better yet, don't do anything!"

Link nodded and looked back just before he got through the door. He walked through the familiar halls of the palace, through the ones he and Ryell and his other friends had walked through a few days before. Along the way, he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in Arbiter's Grounds. Why did Kimira come back to… His gaze shot from the ground to in front of him.

There was someone talking. One of the voices sounded like Kandor.

What could it be? There were so many 'whats' in the past few days…

_Don't g-_

Time tried to stop Link from going, but the boy ran down the hall and glanced into one of the rooms. A teen who looked to be about 17 years old was standing in front of Kandor, two swords unsheathed and in his hands. Link stepped away from the door. But he couldn't help but look in.

"You know where Tunik is," the teen said. "So tell me."

Kandor stood there, a blank look on his face. "And why would I do that?" he asked. He turned his gaze only slightly. When he saw Link, Link ducked away and dashed down the hell.

Link skidded to a halt and turned the corner. He heard footsteps and then they disappeared back into the room. Sighing a breath of relief, Link tiptoed back over to the room. He didn't look in, he listened.

"You will tell me where he is!" the teen snapped. Link heard him swish a sword through the air. It hit the desk from what he could tell. "You've always done this to me! You never help me!" Was there a whiny tone? "Just…tell me and no one dies!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't do that," Kandor said. "Kill me if you want. I will not tell you. It's for the good of the world."

Link heard some curses and then a lot of mumbling. There was silence for quite a few minutes and he didn't realize that the footsteps were heading his way until they were right next to him. There was a curious 'Hmmm?' The boy looked up.

Locks of red hair fell around the teen's darker-skinned face. His angry blue gaze bored right into Link.

"What do we have here?" the teen asked. "The annoying little kid that I've been trying oh-so-badly to capture?"

Link backed up. The teen looked scary with that scowl. And his clothes…they were dark red with orange markings everywhere. His boots were metal though, but that didn't cure any of Link's terrified-ness. The boy in green gulped.

Loud footsteps echoed through the halls. Ryell and Zelda quickly appeared, each with a bow and arrows. They aimed it right at the teen.

"Guys…" Link gulped.

The teen suddenly began laughing. "Go ahead!" he exclaimed. "Try shooting me!"

Ryell and Zelda released the strings, sending the arrows flying. The teen disappeared. Not even a second later he reappeared behind Ryell, getting him in a headlock. He had the blade of one of his swords right up to his victim's neck.

"You tried and failed," the teen growled into Ryell's ear. "You remember me, don't you? A few years inside Time Speed and you came out a thousand years later. Pathetic, isn't it?" He released his grip but didn't move the sword. "Tell him, Ryell. Who exactly am I?"

Link watched. Ryell gulped, and then began to tell him. "Th-this is Zain," he muttered.

Zain was suddenly pulled back, and something fell out of a pants pocket. It was exactly like the crystals he and Zelda held, but it was red. A small piece cracked off, leaving two pieces. The smallest held one dot, the other, two. Zain struggled, trying to get the crystal back but failing. A man came into view, holding Zain back by the wrists, the teen's hands behind his back. He looked a lot like Zain, even having the same designs on his dark-red vest. "Alright, kid, you know the drill," the man said. He stepped backwards and Zain was forced to follow. "Din is very mad at you."

"I don't care about some stupid Goddess!" Zain snapped.

"You will when you die and get forced to be some freaks guardian!"

"I don't NEED a guardian!"

"If you didn't have me to stop you from what you were about to do…" The man shook his head. "You realize that four others in your family have the same power as you? They could easily chase you down and kill you!"

Zain struggled. Ryell and Zelda had ran forward to stand next to Link, both with terrified looks on their faces. Link had to admit to himself that he was very scared, too. And then they disappeared. Both the man and Zain. The smallest half of the crystal was there, then gone in a flash. The three kids looked at each other then bolted down the hall.

Both of them were following Link, who ran into the room Kandor and Zain had been in. It was a bloody mess, all in just a few minutes after the two had talked. Sword slashes were everywhere. It looked as if a whirlwind had blown through the place. In the corner was Kandor's body…

Someone appeared behind Link. It was Klu, Nu, and Loror!

"He's dead…" Klu breathed. She stared in horror. "We've got to tell everyone…"

"Who killed him?" Loror asked.

Link gulped. "It…it was Zain," he said. The three marshals' glances shot towards Link. "I swear. H-he was talking about killing Kandor before he saw me."

They looked at each other and then there was a scream coming from the room Link had woken up in. Nu tied his hair up in a ponytail as he lead the way, almost running. All of them stopped at the entrance. Inside was another bloody mess and the kind doctor that Link had met was also in the corner, dead.

"We've gotta warn everyone," Nu hissed. He ran out of the room, Link following close behind. "Do you know why he's killing everyone, Link?"

"He's trying to find out where…Tunik is," Link told him. They turned a corner. "But Kandor wouldn't tell him."

Nu shook his head and opened the large doors at the entrance when they got there.

"Where are we going?"

"Bell tower," Nu said. "You coming with?"

"Of course!" Link said.

* * *

Everyone gathered in the middle of the city had no clue what was going on. They were buying helping gather things for the kitchens, or helping out with keeping an eye on the children. Link watched as Nu walked over to the bell that hung at the very top of the large tower. The Gerudo get out a long, pained sigh before pulling on the string.

Link had to cover his ears. The ring from the bell was so, incredibly loud from up there that it gave him an instant headache. He almost passed out when Nu let it ring for a very long time so that everyone could hear it.

"What is it?" someone called up. "Why are you ringing the bell?"

Nu took a deep breath. "Kandor has-"

"Piniru is dead!"

Link and Nu looked from almost directly below them to the farther back of the crowd. Klu was standing there, he bow in her hands.

"As I was saying," Nu said, "Kandor has died!"

A hushed silence fell over the crowd.

"Piniru, Tou the family doctor, Lilik, Zephra, an-" Klu suddenly fell to the ground.

The kids in the bell tower gasped. So did the crowd. Zain was know crouching on Klu's back, one foot on, one foot on the ground. He had one sword in his hand, his other going all the way through Klu's middle. For a moment, his eyes flashed yellow, then blue once more.

"And now Klu, the little know it all!" Zain hissed. He stood up and pulled his sword out of the girl's chest, letting the crowd take in what they just saw. "And more will die unless someone tells me what I need to know!"

Everyone in the crowd took a step backwards when Zain stalked forward.

_I have never seen a teenager with such a look of hatred on his face in my whole life, _Time muttered. Link nodded a little bit. _But…I don't blame him._

That took Link by surprise. But he didn't have time to ask about it at all. Zain was pushing through the crowd. These warriors feared him? Then again, he did murder six people in the last ten minutes alone.

Link shook his head. "Zain!" he exclaimed. "Everyone here says that Tunik was kidnapped! No one knows where he is!"

"Shut it, Fairy Boy!" Zain snapped.

Fairy Boy? Where'd that come from? "Just listen!"

"I don't have the time to waste energy on you." Zain spun around and headed back the way he came.

"Link, wait!"

"No! He's killing innocent people!"

Link ran down the stairs of the very tall tower. He skidded to a halt when he got to the bottom; he was panting hard, trying to regain his balance and breath. When he got to the door and opened it, he saw Zain standing right where he had been standing just before Nu yelled at Link to wait.

The crowd parted to let Link through.

"Please don't kill anyone else," Link pleaded as he neared Zain. He felt so small next to the teen who stood almost seven feet tall.

"You will never understand why I do this…" Zain hissed.

"Bu-" Link couldn't finish his sentence. Zain had knocked him clear off his feet

"Leave me alone!"

Link stared at Zain. He honestly didn't know what he saw. The look in Zain's eyes…It was like the man, teen, whatever, was pleading for help.

"Just let him go." Nu walked up next to Link and helped him up. "We don't want him killing more people."

Link just stared. Zain began to walk away when something appeared next to him. It was a bunch of tiny, black specks that formed a human. Then the black disappeared.

"Rhea, make sure they don't follow me," Zain said as they walked past each other. He disappeared.

The girl let out a quiet, slightly insane laugh. "My pleasure," she said. Something like a shadow appeared in one of her hands. When the 'shadow' melted away, it formed a staff…thing. There was a blade on the end and a ball on top that was covered in spikes.

"Let's get her away from everyone," Nu whispered. Link nodded.

They ran in different directions and pushed through the crowd. Rhea seemed slightly confused. Good. Nu was the first one to make it out. He ran away from the crowd, in the direction Zain had seemed to be heading before he disappeared. Link managed to push his way out of the crowd. He caught up to Nu just as the end of the staff swung his way.

"Be that way!" Rhea hissed. She stalked towards Link and began to pull apart her staff. It came into two halves, now two swords. The girl jumped into the air and disappeared. A few people from the crowd shook off the shock of seeing Zain and ran up to help Link. Why? Rhea just appeared in the air, dark yellow eyes now glowing. "I'm coming for your sooouuuulllllll….!"

Silence.

The girl burst out laughing. She fell to the ground, landing on her back. "Oh my gods, oh my gods….Ahahahhhahahhhh!"

Link and Nu just stared with horrified looks.

"She's a complete LUNATIC!" Nu exclaimed. Link nodded in agreement.

_Where have I seen this before?_ Wolfo asked. _I swear to Farore that I've seen this!_

Rhea rolled over and got onto her hands and knees. Link and the two people next to him backed up. In a flash, Rhea had got to her feet and attacked not Link, but Nu.

"Sorry, boy, but I'm on specific orders to kill you!" she exclaimed. "And then after I kill you, I get to kill Fairy Boy over there, and after that I'm going to go kill that Lineback kid. All three of you are a nuisance!"

Link's eyes grew wide. "Ahhh! Don't kill anyone!" he exclaimed. He turned and bolted. The boy was heading back to the palace; he needed to find Ryell and Zelda. They decided to stay back because not only was Lineback in the hospital-like room, but there were many other hurt people. We forgot to mention that, yes? And he needed to make sure his friends were okay. All of them!

_Good job_, a somewhat different voice said. It must be Pirate! _Run away. You wouldn't've been able to help fight anyway. And I believe that Ryell and Zelda need a little help._

_With what!_

_You'll see._

The palace came into view. Link almost tripped when he saw it, but he pushed himself up and kept running. He looked through the open door when he got there. Ryell, along with Zelda and a few others, were running everywhere. When they saw him, they stopped and ran over.

"We need your help," Zelda said nervously. "Th-there's supposed to be a key, and when you lock the front doors with it, every door leading to the outside locks. No one knows where it is specifically, but…Kandor always told them that it was hidden around here."

Link nodded. "I'll help," he said.

"Thank you." Zelda sounded relieved. She ran off. Link followed her and helped her move a pot. But doing that really hurt Link's shoulders. "Go over and lift the smaller pots," the princess told him.

"I think I should do that…," Link muttered to himself. He walked over to a row of pots that were much smaller. Under one was a scarab beetle-looking thing. Under another was a small heart like the one that Ryell crushed over his head. He sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair. He guessed that he'd have to look inside, too.

No one could find it.

"Hey….why are we looking for a key?" Link asked.

Ryell looked at him. "Redeads have been appearing like crazy," he said. "And Fire Keese, and Moblins, and all sorts of freaky things. And they're heading for this place. I can't tell if it was Zain or the Sage of Darkness that sent them. Heck, it could be anyone for all we know!"

Link's jaw fell open. "Are you serious?" he asked. "I don't LIKE Redeads!"

"That's why we're looking for the key!" one of the Gerudos helping him exclaimed. "Half of us aren't fit for battle, and I can't fight without my brother! We have to work together! And now we can't!"

"W-who…who is your brother?" Link asked.

"Loror," the kid said.

"No way. He's not…"

"Almost! One of the doctors in training his trying to help all the wounded, a wave of Keese came earlier. But…Zain got Loror really bad. He and Milok, our cousin, were both attacked by him…"

Link frowned. "Don't worry," he said. "We'll find this key and make sure no one comes in!"

The kid grinned. "Yes! We've gotta save all these hurt people."

They ran off to find that key. Everyone searched everywhere. Behind the large curtains beside the front doors, in every pot and plant, in hidden areas where bricks were loose on the walls. Ryell even claw-shot-ed up to the roof to check in the lights and above the door frame. No one could seem to find that blasted key no matter how hard they looked.

"I guess we'll have to fight them off," one of the kids said. "But…"

Link ran over to the curtains and looked out the window. He was checking to see where their enemies were. They were far away but in clear sight. Give them ten minutes and they'd be there. Great. Link groaned.

"They're almost here," Link said. "Why are they coming?"

"As I said, Zain probably sent them or someone else who wants to kill us." Ryell sounded very tired.

All of them tensed when there was a scream. It sounded very familiar. Rhea. She was in the palace before anyone could move to close the door. Ryell got into a fighting position- he had gone farther down the hall and dropped to the ground just before she had come in. Zelda grabbed Link's arm. The others who were able to fight unsheathed a sword or something. News must've traveled fast!

"D-d-don't kill me," Rhea breathed. "Please." She walked over to the wall and dropped her staff. "S-seriously… Those monsters…. UGH!"

Link gave a 'WTF?' look.

"No one knows what's going on!" Rhea continued to rant. "I mean, Zain couldn't've done that because Mr. Darkness hasn't given him that power yet! Kimira's dead! Ahhhhhhhh!" She better her hand to the side, long sleeve whipping in that direction, then fell to her knees, hitting the ground with the other hand.

Link stepped forward. "You mean those monsters…Aren't Zain's doing?" he asked.

"NO!" Rhea sat up and looked at Link. "It's probably the Great Fairy! The Great Fairy grants anyone one wish if they can find it! Someone must've asked for this!" She shook her head and jumped up. "Don't kill me," she pleaded once more.

Ryell raised an eyebrow. "And why should we not kill you?"

"I'm on neutral grounds," Rhea said. "I work for anyone when I'm not working for someone else. I don't want to do this but…." Her eyes grew wide. "They're here… And he's here…" She grabbed her staff from the ground.

Link was about to ask who was there when something appeared in front of him. It was Time, and he was holding something blue.

"I believe you guys need more time," he said. "I will teach you a song that will slow down time, but only people with Spirit Instruments, like my ocarina, will be able to use it."

Link looked around. He didn't have his instrument!

"Hehe, missing this?" Piyori appeared as a shadow and held something out. The shadows melted off of it to reveal Link's fiddle. How did he know? "I've been holding it for you for a long time."

Rhea nodded. She took something out of her pocket and looked at Time. Link took the fiddle. It took them only a few minutes to learn it. Apparently the item Rhea held was a Spirit Instrument because a purple-ish light appeared around her harmonica as a green light appeared around Link's.

People would know this song as the Song of Time. And since the Temple of Time was hidden, Time had explained, at the bottom of the sea, the song adapted to the current situation and was instead used to make time go incredibly slow. This way, a single hour was only a second.

"This song…" Rhea sighed. "I will not tell Zain that I know of it. I may be working for him at the moment, but… You guys…." She shook her head and looked outside. The monsters looked as if they weren't moving at all.

Time nodded. "Very well," he said. He then looked at Link. "Use the song wisely. You can use it whenever, but if you wish to make time go back to its normal flow, play the song again." He stepped back but didn't disappear. "Pirate says that you guys should go and find that key."

"Do you know where it is?" Zelda asked.

"I don't. I'm sorry." Time sighed. "But now you have days to look. And…you have a guest with you." He turned, glancing at the stairs, and disappeared.

Everyone looked at the staircase. Zain was sitting there, a really ticked off look on his face.

"What's this!" he asked. "I'm sitting there at the top floor and all of a sudden, everything gets slow!" He stood up and walked over, glaring at Link the whole way. "And you!" He looked at Rhea. "Why are you with these guys?"

Rhea shrank back. "Zain, I only came in here because the monsters have started to attack the city. The Redeads pretty much got me, so I teleported to the front and ran in."

"Whatever. But, thanks to you, when I run, I run at the same speed as you." Zain's eyes narrowed.

Link scowled. "You're the one who was in here when I played the song!" Apparently, Rhea's partner didn't know that she, too, had played the song.

"Yes, I figured that out," Zain snapped. "But I was looking for this." He threw something to Link. It was a Heart Container. "I don't need it. Just crush it and you'll be able to last a little longer when you're in battle." He turned and headed for the stairs. "The more you….have…the longer…you'll last." He ran up the stairs and turned the corner. Rhea glanced at Link for a moment and followed.

"I'll use it later," Link said. He didn't trust anything that Zain gave him. He murdered too many people today for him to trust. "Let's get looking for that key now that we have plenty of time."

So they searched again. They looked everywhere they possibly could. It took almost a full day of looking before they finally gave up. Loror's brother left to check on the wounded. Although they were going slow, the wounded were also part of the slowness. Everyone else sat down by the door. Most refused to go outside. Link didn't blame them. He didn't want to go outside when there were tons of monsters out there, slow or not. Finally, Zelda told him to use the Heart Container. She told him that he might as well use it.

"Should I?" Link asked.

"Yes, you should," Ryell said. "You're going to need it. You're weak as a Cucco!"

"Hey!" Link rolled his eyes. He grabbed the large Heart Container and tried crushing it. "How do I crush it!"

"Sandwich it between your hands," one of the Gerudo kids said.

Link nodded and placed both hands on the sides of the container. He easily crushed it, as if it were meant for being crushed, and the power dissolved into Link. Everyone suddenly gasped. Landing on Link's lap was a key. On the handle, two suns shown, grinning.

"…I think it's mocking us," Ryell breathed.

Zelda and a few kids laughed.

"Yes, well, we found it and now we can make time go back to normal!" Zelda jumped up and took the key from Link. When she locked the door, Link grabbed his fiddle and began to play the song. It came out all…scratchy and didn't even sound like the song. He frowned. Then he really took his time on getting the notes right. Finally, after almost ten minutes, Link played the song. His instrument glowed. Everyone glanced out one of the windows. The monsters who were hardly moving a muscle suddenly became much faster.

And, just before they hit the door, the place became covered in blue lines and the monsters were thrown back.

"I hope that windows count as entrances…" Ryell breathed. He looked up at a window as saw tons of Keese charging for it.


	13. The Sages of Light and Dark

The battle raged on below. A good sign in his opinion. He needed every single race weakened enough to a point where they were hopeless. But these darned Gerudo! He completely forgot that these guys were warriors. And those kids! He was glad that the holder of Power was hidden far away, hopefully to never be found. The poison was working well; if it continued, the kid would be in his power, much like Morki, Sunayuu, and Ryua.

"Foolish little…"

Luayuu growled. He flapped his huge, webbed wings and dove down, leaving the safety of the clouds. The hippogryph growled. Ever since becoming the Sage of Darkness, everything's been going great. But now, with these annoying children, all of his hard work would be wasted. The Sage of Storms was the key link in his plan. He was the king of the skies and with the Sage of Sand, or Land, and the Sage of Oceans, it would be easy to gain control of this land. But lately he'd heard about that stupid kid Linebeck or something. He and the princess were trying to take back his minion…

Nearby, Luayuu's natural opposite came flying up, her feathered, cream colored wings keeping her in the air without any trouble. The Sage rolled his eyes. Ryua was a loyal follower, but she had also been drugged with the poison. The thought made Luayuu laugh loudly. The ReDeads scattered throughout the desert below looked up. Luayuu and Ryua folded in their wings and dropped down, landing gracefully on the sand below. It was an ironic thought, but Luayuu began thinking that the Sage of Sands should've come from this area instead of Dragon Roost.

It was weird. He himself was a Hylian and Ryua was a Twili. The Goddesses must've been drinking too much, because the man from this desolate island was Sage of Storms. The only one that made sense was Morki, who was a Zora all the way through.

Luayuu let out a powerful roar. His attack on the main city was working, but these guys, one of the other waves, still had quite a while to go. In reality, he hated them, but the ReDeads were good against slower enemies. Compared to what he had seen, the guys he was attack were quite slow. He laughed again. "Let's get going before we're spotted," Luayuu said. He unfolded his large wings and few off into the air, his feathered minion following close behind. "This is going great. Let's go see when we'll be able to attack the Zoras… While that foolish boy is helping those weaklings… Maybe we can attack before he makes it there…"

* * *

A huge roar shook the area. Everyone stopped fighting and looked around. Even the Keese had stopped fighting, and the ReDeads outside almost had a heart attack. Ryell, the only person not in complete shock, jumped around, killing many of the stunned monsters. Link was leaning against one of the larger pots, hands covering his ears. The roar lasted for a few seconds, but it kept coming. Finally it stopped.

_Great. How am I supposed to fight when my shoulders hurt a lot and I can't hold a sword?_

Link sighed and hung his head in shame. If he hadn't been so reckless fighting Kimi-

_Oh don't talk like that, _Wolfo said. _You were amazing fighting that freak. And hey, there's always something someone can do to help. You just have to look~_

How could he help, though? Link jumped up and ran down the hall, feeling quite light headed from all of this. His sword was no use, his bow was no use, he could probably, barely hold a sword, no magic… Ugh. He needed to stop thinking negatively. Think positively, he kept telling himself. Positively…

"WAIT!" Link exclaimed and skidded to a halt. He usually never thought bad thoughts! Why was he thinking them now? "Library, library…"

He began to run around, searching through doors and what not. Libraries, no matter what race, were usually found at the bottom floors. This place may be big, but if he could find a door that was outcast, maybe that would be the library. And, it was. A lonely door that looked as if it had been closed for a very long time was at the very end of the hall, a single letter on it- 'L'.

"That's it," Link breathed. He pushed the creaky door open and was amazed. This place was filled with books! Link had never, ever seen this much books in a single place before. Hopefully there'd be something in here- something about the Sages. There were two big groups of Sages, from what Klu had told him, and they were major parts of this world. The boy had to grin.

So he set off, looking for books with Sage in the title, or anywhere for that matter. He looked through the 'S's, but found nothing. Link raised an eyebrow and leaned against a book shelf. Either he wasn't looking hard enough, or these guys just didn't have any books on them. Did he have to be more specific?

_How many Sages are there?_

_Uhhhh…_ Pirate had no clue.

_5? _Time asked. _Darkness, Light, Ocean, Sand, Storms, Wind … _

Six. Alright. Link went looking for-

_Seven!_ Time exclaimed. _Darkness, Light, Ocean, Sand, Storms, Wind, and Stars._

_Stars? No one told me about Stars!_ Link was completely surprised. He shook his head and began looking for something with 'seven'. When there was nothing, Link walked over to the 'T's and looked for 'The Seven-' whatevers.

There was a single book. Link pulled it down, surprised by how light it was compared to all the other books. He walked over to a nearby table and put it down. On the inside, it had the table of contents, usual for books. There were six chapters on the Sages and a single page about the Sage of Stars. Ignoring the one about Stars at the moment, Link turned to the first chapter about the Sage of Darkness.

This part shocked him.

So far, there have been seven Sages, all relating to darkness. Every time a Sage dies, the Goddesses choose a new one. But, that wasn't the part that truly shocked him. The Sage of Darkness was famous for filling people with bad, negative thoughts. That usually happened when he was around people, and the thoughts didn't go away until he left. That was how he killed people; most people who thought negatively usually ended their lives in suicide…

"No way…" Link breathed. He flipped to the chapter about the Sage of Light. Like Darkness, there had been seven of her, too. And she was capable of bringing positive thoughts to people who were suffering Darkness' powers. She would sing a song, one that would heal the darkness in people… It was also the first song he learned.

Link took a deep breath and looked up. This was…crazy. He shook his head and got back to reading. The Sage of Stars was what he was most curious about ever since Time had told him.

Apparently, it was very hard for the Goddesses to chose a Sage of Stars. There had only been two in a thousand years. Yes, every Sage was important with keeping the balance. And according to this book, 500 years of spirits were wandering, looking for the being that would lead them to the heavens. A Sage of Stars hadn't been chosen in 500 years…

"I've…I've gotta…" Link put his hands on the sides of his head. This was so confusing!

_Tch. You get used to it._

Link heard Fish growl.

_But…there's so many! _the boy exclaimed.

_Like I said, you get used to it._

Link slammed the book closed and ran out of the room. Not only was he getting a bad feeling about being in there, but the whole place began to shake again as if a huge earthquake was about to tear through the earth. He had to get out of here or he was going to go _crazy_!

He ran through the halls, desperately trying to find his way back to the entrance when suddenly tripped over a fallen Keese, crashing into a ReDead as he went. It must've crawled in through the window and, luckily, he had knocked the freak's head off, only scaring Link a little bit.

"Not fair!" Link exclaimed and jumped up. He saw a bright light and ran towards it, only to be pulled back something hard and metallic. The boy began flailing, trying to get away, when he heard a familiar voice.

"Link, what the hell're you doing!" Ryell asked.

Link was pulled into the air, just dangling there. Two of Ryell's fingers were around his neck, and two others were around his torso. Ryell was sitting on one of the hanging lights, one hand wrapped around the rope holding it up.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Link exclaimed.

"Sorry, but you were blindly running around," Ryell said and swung his metal hand. He let go and Link dropped to the ground. "We're've you been?"

"I found a book on the Sages," Link said quickly. "I was reading it- I'm going to go and try to do something!" He jumped over a pile of Deads- they weren't _Re_Dead anymore- and ran out the door, grabbing his fiddle from the table where he had left it on the way out. Ryell was yelling at him to get back there, but he ignored him.

There was a quiet 'hehe' and Link instantly knew that Piyori was with him. It was odd knowing that, seeing as this guy was an imp, but he had to live with it for now.

In the middle of the city, there had to be three times the amount of enemies as there were Gerudo warriors. Link kept seeing things, most likely Zain, because the enemies were falling like crazy. It was nothing, through, compared to how many more appeared to take their place. Like now. The boy in green was suddenly surrounded by Moblins. He backed up, but got pocked with a spear to move forward. When he moved forward, he was poked to go backwards. Just as he felt blood drip down his back and front, the Moblins were killed by something unknown. A shadow took his fiddle out of his hands. He fell backwards, a foot on his chest holding him down. Zain opened his mouth to say something, but Nu tackled him down, leaving Zain completely surprised.

That was close. Link rolled onto his side and placed a hand on his stomach. The wound wasn't that deep, thank Farore.

A screech overhead caught Link's attention. He pulled himself up into a sitting position as a large Keese imbedded with flaming arrows fell right where his head had been. HOLY FUDGE. Link Stood up and looked around at the surrounding battle. The bell tower was exactly opposite of him. All he had to do was run through.

And that he tried.

And failed miserably.

He was only halfway through before a flock of Keese and herd of Moblins was chasing him. Link had to veer to the side and run into a random building in order to escape. He slammed the door shut and listened to the sickening thuds of about a hundred monsters crashing into the door. Piyori began to laugh uncontrollably.

"You have no idea what you're doing!" Piyori exclaimed. He appeared in front of Link, a devious look on his face. "You're so funny! Running into battle without thinking!"

"I am too thinking!" Link exclaimed.

Silence.

Then an amused giggle.

_No, no you aren't._

_OH SHUT IT, FISH!_

_Sorry, this is Shield._

_What…but…_

_Yeah _Wolfo said, _They sound alike. You get used to that, too!_

_You were…you were listening? _Link asked.

_Pfttt. Yeah. There's only two ways we can talk to you, and Puppet kidnapped the other way._

Silence.

_I'll be quiet now._

Link rolled his eyes. Piyori raised an eyebrow, but disappeared in shadows.

When Link thought it was safe to leave, he opened the door. His jaw dropped when he realized that he'd never be able to move this pile of stunned monsters. With a slam of the door, Link turned and walked out the back way, only managing to close his mouth on the way out. It took a bit of standing there for his eyes to get used to the sudden light, the building had been dark, and even then he had to keep standing there. Was there war everywhere?

_Apparently the training grounds did nothing._

The boy raised an eyebrow. What was Fish- or was it Shield?- implying? Wait! In the training grounds, you had to sneak around the creepy eyes, and anubis, and all sorts of weird stuff. Link took a deep breath and pressed himself against the wall. The wave of monsters didn't notice him as they ran by, chasing an arguing Zain and Nu. When the monsters were gone and the two Gerudo were hidden behind a row of buildings, Link made a break for it. He dashed lightly across the street, rolling behind a building just as a confused Moblin looked his way.

Keep going, keep going, Link told himself. If he could just run left all the way, and turn left again, he'd be there in no time. These buildings, except for certain breaks in the corners, were very close together, so it would be hard to see him. No one did. He safely made it through the street, one devoid of fighters and monsters.

"You're doing good," Piyori whispered to him. "Keep going! You're almost there!"

Link nodded and flattened himself against another building. Once again, just like before, the monsters that ran through the gap didn't notice him. Letting out a sigh, Link ran across the street. He wasn't so lucky this time, because his shoulders began hurting and he hesitated in the middle of the area. A large group of Moblins spotted him. The boy's eyes grew wide and he began running once more. Just a little farther!

Something grabbed his foot and Link did a face plant. A horde of Miniblins jumped up and down on his hurt back, refusing to let their victim up. Link struggled. Two Miniblins grabbed his feet, rising their pitchforks in defiance.

"Piyori, help me!" Link exclaimed.

But that giggle was nowhere to be heard. In the giggle's place, there was a quiet growling. Link turned his head and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zain, eyes blazing yellow, walk up, grabbing Link by the collar. The Miniblins shrieked and bounded away, leaving Link with a terrible feeling.

"Time to…" Zain grimaced. He pulled a sword from one of the two sheathes and held it up to Link's neck. Was Link really going to die here? The sword slightly cut Link's neck, making a thin line of blood. A little more-

And a bright flash of light.

Link screamed. Zain was thrown backwards. The boy fell to his knees, hands on the ground. He was near tears at the moment, and he nervously rubbed his neck. It was bleeding, but it was just a small scratch- it was as if a simple cucco had attacked him. He let out a huge sigh of relief and forced back tears. There was a huge loophole in this attack- unfortunate for whoever planned it- and Link had to use that to his advantage.

"Get back here!" Zain roared.

Instinct told Link to get the hell out of there. He jumped up and began running, almost tripping and face planting again. But he grabbed a nearby spear a Moblin was holding, pulled it out of the surprised monster's hands, and used it to keep himself up whenever he was about to fall. For some reason, Zain was using that ultra-quick speed of his. THANK. DIN. Or Farore. Or Nayru. Or whoever he was supposed to thank.

But, his relief only lasted for a moment. Zain was still a warrior, and he easily jumped over anyone who was getting in his way.

"Stay away from me!" Link cried. He threw open the door of the bell tower and closed it. There was a lock, so he locked it, and moved one of the big boulders in front of it. A huge slam made Link grin the biggest grin ever. There was a shout of pained curses and Zain furiously pounding against the door.

Link laughed an evil laugh and ran up the stairs. Halfway up, he heard a giggle and a shadow appeared in front of him. His fiddle appeared, and he caught it, silently thanking Piyori as he made it to the top. The bell slightly swung in the cool wind, creating quiet ringing. Below was total chaos. The boy wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of people had died.

"Come on now, Link…" he told himself, voice shaky.

He got ready to play the song and even ignored the huge shadow that passed by. This was the best place to play, as it was open and easy to get to, so hopefully everyone could hear it.

Finally, he began playing. Everything just seemed to stop like when Nu rang the bell just a few hours earlier- well, a few hours for the kids, that is.

The monsters stopped attacking. When someone went to attack, they'd just disappear in a shower of dust. But, there were so many monsters, that the song didn't affect many of them. But fighting a few is better than fighting hundreds, yes?

Even though the song was quiet, it could be heard through the whole area because of the total silence. It was frightening, but with every note, hundreds of monsters disappeared. All of these monsters were complete darkness?

Link hesitated a bit, then stopped the song. The monsters that were gone left plenty of room for these guys to finish the rest. He looked down and saw Zain glaring up at him. The evil-dude pulled his hand back, then threw it into the air. Link jumped back just in time to miss a purple energy ball- apparently Zain was an exception. He didn't turn good like anything else.

Link looked at his hands, his instrument disappeared, and he felt something heavy on his back. His sword and shield! With a groan, Link moved the strap holding his sword sheath so that it was closer to his neck.

"You. Are. Annoying!" Zain exclaimed.

"Hahaha! GLAD TO KNOW!"

Link looked down again. He saw Zain walking away, muttering to himself and instantly relaxed. With his sword and shield now with him, he'd be able to protect himself better. Hopefully. Heck, he still had that spear somewhere around here, and he wanted to find it. It was probably down by the door, so Link ran down the stairs, almost tripping _again_. He managed to push against the boulder at the bottom to stop himself.

With a sigh, Link pushed the boulder out of the way, unlocked it, and looked outside. If he wanted to, he could get all the way back to the palace without anyone attacking him. Nice, he thought and began running. He wanted, needed, to see what was going on there. Maybe, just maybe, no one had gotten hurt. It would be amazing if no one did!

_Huh, you're doing pretty good for a newb, _Time said.

Link rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but grin. He listened to Time and Pirate talking to each other as he ran. When the palace came into view, he skidded to a halt and looked in through a window. Ryell looked up at him, gave a thumbs up, and turned back to fighting. There were Deads, Keese, and Moblins everywhere, all dead. When Link turned around, he just stared in shock. A huge wave of monsters was coming towards the area.

"Ahhhhh!"

Link ran into the room, terrified. The group that was fighting looked at him, saw his terrified look, then looked out the window. Ryell overkilled one of the last few Moblins in a way the author does not wish to describe.

"You're kidding!" Ryell exclaimed and threw the Moblin's body against the wall- he had at least tried to get it onto the pile. "It took forever just to kill these guys!"

"But, this group is half as big," Link explained. "I swear- I went to the middle of the city and compared to what I saw, this is pretty small." Ryell glared at him. "Trust me! Please!"

"Fine. Let's just get this over with."

The man nodded to the others in the room and headed outside. Zelda grabbed her bow, and the other Gerudo kids followed her out. Link was last, but he put his hand on his sword's hilt, suddenly feeling more relaxed. Sure, he wouldn't be able to use it very well, but it made him feel better.

"You guys ready?" Ryell asked. The line was getting closer.

"Yeah!" Zelda and Link exclaimed.

The monsters roared. Suddenly, there were at least 50 more people around them.

"What…?" Link asked.

"It's only right!" one of the citizens said. "You helped us, we help you."

Link grinned. "Let's fight!"

Ryell nodded. He pulled up his mask and leaped forward, a whole horde of enemies surrounding him. Okay, so, maybe Link was wrong on the estimate. This was about a third of what the first wave was. That was still a lot. Link groaned- it was going to be a long battle, and Piyori, obviously, wasn't there. He pulled out his sword and tested it, and almost dropped it. Link steadied himself and held out his sword.

He sliced a few Moblins in half, bashed many with his shield, but in the end, he had to run for it. Well, he hid behind a Gerudo, and when she moved, he hid behind another. Dust was flying everywhere- Link's eyes were watering and he looked like he was crying.

_Great_ Link thought. He rubbed his eyes, blinked, and began attacking again. If only he knew some form of magic. That would be helpful.

A monster grabbed his neck. Link was pulled backwards, gagging, and thrown into the ground. The Moblins cheered. Someone nearby knocked them out, then helped Link up. He nodded to her and turned around, holding out his sword. The boy had to be more careful if he was going to survive.

"Link!" Zelda cried.

Link's eyes grew wide. He ran in the direction of the cry, and bashed through a huge group of Miniblins. He crashed into Zelda. The girl had been tormented by the 'blins and lost her bow. Together they looked around, and when she had it back, she turned and ran back into battle. Link sighed and smiled slightly.

"WATCH IT!" Ryell exclaimed.

In an instant, Link had ducked and spun around, slicing a Moblin almost in half. It fell to the ground and so did Link. He pulled himself up and grabbed the monster's spear-knife-thing, chucking it at the closest of monsters.

_Go, Link! _Pirate exclaimed. _You can do it!_

Link chopped another monster in half, then bolted. He ran into the palace, panting, and looked back out. The fight was still going. This would take forever. But, it would be totally worth it later on.

The boy slid to the ground and dropped his sword and shield. This was extremely tiring, and he didn't want to do anymore. He just sat there, listening to the battle raging outside. But, if he was in there, who was helping Princess Zelda? She may be his friend, but the King was bound to strangle him if he let anything bad happen to her. He jumped up, seeing as he was already jumping a lot, and looked out the window. It was easy to spot Ryell's darker blue hair and Zelda's dirty-blonde among all the red and purple of the monsters. From what he could see, Zelda was doing pretty good. Until she was hit in the side of the head with a club. Link burst out of the room and outside faster than one could say 'Link'. He darted past a screeching ReDead, jumped over a tiny Miniblin, and ran the rest of the way to Zelda.

"Zelda?" Link asked nervously as he dropped to his knees next to the princess.

"Nugh…"

She didn't sound okay. Link pulled her up and looked at her. Zelda weakly raised a hand.

"Hey, Zelda, Zelda!"

Link ducked away from a flaming arrow, taking the Princess down with him. He had to get her out of here. Somehow, way, shape, or form. Someone appeared next to him and lifted the girl up. Link looked up and gasped. Time had Zelda in his arms and was walking towards the palace.

"Coming?" he asked.

"Y-yeah!" Link got up and followed Tim. He pushed away the Miniblins following and opened the door for Time.

"You have that crystal with you?" Time asked and set Zelda down on the floor. He crouched down and looked at her, waiting for an answer.

Link nodded. "Yes," he said. "It's in my wallet. Rupee bag. Whatever."

"Good. Keep it with you at all times." Time waved and faded.

Zelda was safe. The hurt were safe too, with everyone out of the building and a some-what doctor with them. Ryell was more than safe on his own, thank the Goddesses.

"Oi, what happened?"

The doctor was down the hall after turning the corner. She had seen Zelda lying on the floor, and a pale-Link next to her.

"She was hit in the head with a club," Link said sadly.

"Well, we have plenty of beds," the doctor said. She walked over and easily, gently picked up the girl. Link found himself following another person, and stood next to the door as the doctor looked over Zelda. She had gone unconscious and was now lying in a bed next to Lineback.

The doctor suddenly grabbed Link by his pointy ear and dragged him over to a bed. She forced him to take his tunic off as she looked at the stitches in his shoulders. They had began to bleed, making Link's face pale again. Oh how he hated stitches.

"That's it…I'm gonna die right here." Link fell backwards, arms outstretched to his sides. He landed lightly on the fluffy bed.

_FAILED_, a chorus of about four voices said in unison. Link could hear two girl voices and two guys.

_I thought you two were fighting? _Link asked.

_Oh, _Navi began.

_We can be pretty devious_, Tetra continued.

_If we want, _Fish and Shield finished.

Link took a moment, then thought, _Farore, what has this world come to?_

_HEY! _the four exclaimed.

_I'm pretty sure this world is perfectly fine._

Link let out a terrified scream. He sat up, earning a look that said 'WTF? You're crazy!' from the doctor. There were only supposed to be nine voices. Wh-whose voice was that? His breathing quickened, but after a few deep breaths, he calmed down enough to grin sheepishly at the doctor. She shook her head and began to rub something on his shoulders.

"Don't touch it!" the girl hissed and slapped Link's hand away.

Link pulled it back and put on a pouty face, making his eyes wider.

"That won't work."

"Dang." Link hung his head in shame.

There was a sudden roar.

"THOSE INSOLENT LITTLE BRATS!"

Link and the doctor looked at the window. An energy ball hit the window. The doctor used magic to keep it from breaking, but Link ran out of the room, pulling his tunic on as he went. He finished putting on his belt just as he got to the doors. Everything outside had stopped. Everyone was looking up, even the monsters that had raided the area.

"What the heck…?" Link looked up. Something…weird was up there. It looked like a dragon, a dark purple one with brightly glowing red eyes. But the back half of it looked like a horse, completely black with lighter grey spots. It was looking right at him, growling.

"No….no…" Link rubbed his eyes and fell to his knees. This was the Sage-dude that brought bad thoughts. No wonder he'd been thinking so bad. He tried thinking of Kay, but the thought turned to something along the lines of 'what if I never see her again?'.

"Foolish boy!" the Sage snapped. "You are nothing without your powers unlocked." It get a triumphant 'huh!' and opened its mouth. Black flames poured out. "I'll be waiting…" It didn't sound very happy, but it flew in a wide circle and flew into a cloud. It was easy to see its body, but after a while, it completely disappeared.

The monsters around them burst into dust. A quiet song could be heard, and something flew by overhead. Link couldn't see what it was due to it being right in front of the sun, but it was obviously the Sage of Light. She turned towards them, and Link gasped. Her eyes were the same blood-red as the other Sage's eyes. But the dragon looked so kind. She blinked once, then sped into the air, disappearing in a flash of light.

"I'M CONFUSED!" Link exclaimed.

* * *

_**Shinzu**_: PFTTT. Finally. I was trying to make this one interesting.

Zain: No. No she wasn't. She just got writer's block and just started typing.

D: Jerk.

Anyway, took so long to get this out here because of slight writer's block and the fact that I haven't been able to get onto the computer I type my stories on. I've been typing more and more every day for about a week. -Nod nod-

Random question- Do you think I'm improving at all? I've been learning lots of things. Like- it's hard to type a story with as little 'ands' as you can. I tried to keep the 'ands' to a minimum in the first couple of chapters, but, it didn't work so well and gave me a headache. Another thing I've learned- only I know what's going to happen next! XD It's hard writing a story when I've gotta make sure everyone knows what's supposed to be going on. -Shot-

Well, I hope you enjoy! :D


	14. END

Hey guys! It's Shinzu!

Just here to tell you that I'm currently rewriting Echoes of the Past.

The cast will still be the same: Link, Kay, Lineback, Ryell, Zelda, Xel, Tunik, Zain, Piyori, Rhea, and Klondi. Very few of them will have changed from this story (Rhea being completely redone), but their histories, powers, all of that is still the same and the plot… I can't wait until I can get to it.

Less time will be spent on certain islands. I had actually forgot what Lineback and Zelda wanted to see Kandor for, so I was just kinda…going with the flow. Ha. My bad.

If you wish to read the rewrite, it's the same title, but with 'Rewrite' at the front. I find the rewrite to be much better, but I don't know about you guys. If you would like me to keep certain things the same, just tell me and I'll try to incorporate them into the new story.

There's also a lot more with the canon characters (Ocarina of Time Zelda, Link, and Ganondorf). I kinda neglected them.

Shoot me. I'm rambling again.

Have fun!


End file.
